When Two Worlds Collide
by Cecilia Green
Summary: Rose Tyler and John Smith have been living happily together since the events in "Journey's End." But when a strange, big-chinned man and his two companions appear on their doorstep to save the world, drama and mayhem ensue. Features Rose, Rory, Amy, 11, and 10's Duplicate.
1. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visit

**A/N: This is my first ever Who fanfic, and I have to admit, I haven't really planned much for it. It'll depend on the feedback I get for me to even continue the story for long. So please read&review!**

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**When Two Worlds Collide**

**by Cecilia Green**

**Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visit**

Rose looked around the living room. "John!" she called.

"I'm in here!" came a voice from down the hall. Rose mentally kicked herself for not looking in the workroom, since John spent about 90% of his time there. She walked briskly down the hall and poked her head through the door to see her husband hunched over a counter, fiddling around with a piece of machinery.

"What's that?" Rose asked, stepping forward to get a better look.

"This, my dear Rose, is the new and improved sonic screwdriver," said John, not once taking his eyes off of the small silver instrument. "Or it will be, if I can just get this reactor to stabilize…" he continued. _Human technology is so limited,_ John thought to himself. It was true, for he could think of a hundred different ways to make a hundred different sonic screwdrivers, and all of them would take a relatively short amount of time, too. However, all of them required some special type of rock or gem or metal, all of which were not available on Earth.

Rose smiled. John had talked about making a new screwdriver for some time, but it had never really occurred to her that he had already gotten started. "It's getting late," she remarked, looking at the clock on the wall that now read 9:27 PM. "Are you getting hungry? I could whip up something quickly. What should we have?"

John paused in his work to give his wife a wonky smile. "That depends on what you're in the mood for," he said, taking off his pair of black glasses and setting them on the counter. "I could make us some Chicken Cordon Bleu. Or how about Canard á la Rouennaise? Fillet mignon?"

"Fish and chips?" Rose said with a smile as she bent down and gave John a sweet kiss on the lips. They stayed there a while, relishing those precious moments when they were together.

"Ah, if you want to be boring about it," said John when they finally broke apart.

"We could invite Mum and Dad over. It's been a while since we've had any other living organisms in this house," said Rose jokingly.

"Sounds like a plan, love," John replied, turning back to his screwdriver and putting on his glasses.

"Right. I'll go pick up dinner, and then we can ring up Mum," said Rose, heading towards the doorway to get her jumper.

"I'll be right here," John called after her.

Rose grabbed her black leather jumper (a style that she had picked up from the Doctor) and headed towards the front door. Upon opening it, she gave a small shriek.

On the other side stood three people. Well, there _stood_ two people, who were carrying a comatose third person in their arms. There was a pale, round-faced girl, probably in her mid- to late-twenties, with dark auburn hair that fell in thick curls over her shoulders, and a skinny man with short, dirty-blonde hair, also in his twenties. The blonde man carried the upper part of another man, who had a large nose, a defined chin, and a messy pile of dark brown hair tossed about his head. He wore dark brown trousers, a pale brown jumper, and a bright red bow tie, which was partly burnt, as was his shirt, which Rose guessed was once crisp white.

"Are…you…Rose Tyler?" panted the girl with wild eyes. Rose noticed a distinct Scottish accent.

"Yes. W-who are you?" Rose stuttered, still in shock.

The girl didn't answer, but instead stumbled into the room, with the man following close behind, so as not to drop the big-chinned man. "Please…" she said. "He… he said you would help."

"Wait – who is that? What are you doing here?" Rose demanded, regaining her senses.

"Rose? What's going on?" said John, entering the room. He froze in his steps as he saw the three strangers. "Who are these?" he said, eyes widening.

The blonde man spoke up. "I'm Rory, and this is my wife, Amy."

"And your friend?" John nodded at the unconscious man, who Amy and Rory were now setting down on the sofa.

"He's the Doctor," said Amy.

There was silence, and John's heart nearly stopped (which would've been bad, since he only had one).

"Doctor…who?" Rose said slowly, though there was this creeping feeling that she already knew the answer.

"Just the Doctor. Don't you know him? Well…" Amy paused. "He said you wouldn't recognize him, but that you knew him. Does that make sense? I didn't entirely understand, but…" She trailed off, confused.

Rose looked at John, and John looked at her. They both looked back at the two strangers and the third supposedly-not stranger. "What?" John sputtered.

* * *

John moved his stethoscope on either side of the unconscious Doctor's chest. There were several medical books and tools strewn about the house, for John had gotten a medical degree at King's College Waterloo and was now an actual medical doctor. "Both hearts have a quick, but steady beat," he said. He then produced a small torch from his pocket and shined it in his eye after lifting the lid. "Pupil dilation seems normal." He inspected the head and soon came across a large, multicolored bruise just above the right ear.

John stood up from his crouching position next to the sofa and turned to Amy, Rory, and Rose, who were sitting in a circle of armchairs nearby. "He seems alright," he reassured them. "No apparent signs of concussion. He should be a bit dazed once he comes around, but he'll be fine." He walked across the small space between him and his wife and took the seat next to her. "Now, why don't you tell us what happened?" he said.

Amy and Rory looked at each other. _What a strange sight_, Rose thought. Two young adults, both with burnt and crinkled clothing, with their faces smudged with dirt and soot, sitting in armchairs and sipping from mugs of tea. But then again, if what they claimed was true and the strange man on the sofa really was the Doctor, then that picture wouldn't be unusual in the slightest.

"Um, we were in the TARDIS," Rory began.

"Somewhere in the Sylandrome System," Amy interjected.

"Right. And I remember the TARDIS took us there because it sensed a weak spot in the… the, um, layer that separated our dimensions. We were about to patch it up when a spaceship showed up, because they saw the TARDIS on their sensors," said Rory.

"Were you able to identify the type of ship it was?" John asked.

"The Doctor said it was some sort of Pit-, um, Pita-… I can't pronounce it," said Amy.

"Pitastrangalorathoris," John guessed.

"I… think?" said Rory.

"Sorry, go on," urged Rose.

"Anyway, they saw the TARDIS and fired at it," said Amy.

"But that doesn't explain how you got into our dimension," Rose put in.

"They missed," said Rory. "It just so happened that they missed the TARDIS and instead hit the little blip in space where the layer was weakest. It created a crack in the dimensions and we got sucked in."

"So you started to crash," said John. "The amount of energy needed to pull the TARDIS into another dimension would've at least squabbled the controls. You couldn't fly it."

"Yes, that's what the Doctor said," Amy said. "He was able to make sure we landed in London, but he couldn't do much more than that. He said, 'If Rose Tyler is around, she'll help.' He showed us the address, and we crashed. He must've banged his head or something, but we carried him out of the TARDIS and looked for you."

"Well, it's fairly simple from now. Once the Doctor wakes up, we'll help you patch up the TARDIS and then you can seal the crack," Rose suggested.

Amy and Rory shifted uncomfortably in their seats. "There's more," said John. Rory nodded.

"The Pitastraga-somethings… We're pretty sure they went through the crack, too," he said.

John's eyes widened as a sudden realization came to him. "A ship that can generate enough power to blow a hole through space-time has to have been enormous. If it got sucked through the crack, then the sheer size of the ship would've expanded it." He looked at his wife. "The crack is getting bigger. If we don't seal it soon, the two universes will collide."

"We'll be blown to pieces," Rose said with a stunned expression.

"And on top of that, we have the Pitastraga-somethings after us," John added.

"But why are they chasing us?" Rory asked. "Maybe we could reason with them."

John shook his head. "The Pitastragalorathorises leave the rest of the universe alone so long as the universe leaves them alone. They're pretty independent, but _very_ territorial. If the TARDIS took you into their air space, then they're not going to stop hunting you until they're sure you're dead."

Amy peered at John suspiciously. "How do you know so much about aliens?" she asked. "The Doctor said Rose Tyler would help. He didn't mention anybody else. Who are you?"

"He's the other Doctor," said Rose.

"The Doctor?" Amy and Rory asked simultaneously.

"Doctor John Smith," John said quickly. "As in MD. I married Rose a few years ago. She told me all about the Doctor and the TARDIS." Amy and Rory nodded in understanding. Rose gave her husband a strange look, but said no more. "We can't afford to wait much longer before sealing the crack," he continued. "Hopefully, the Doctor will be awake by tomorrow morning. We'll decide what to do then." He paused for a moment. "There's a spare room down the hall, right next to the loo. We only have one, though, so…"

"One room is fine," Rory said hurriedly.

John nodded. "Right, then. I suppose we'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Amy said, setting her tea mug on the table. Rory did the same, and they stood up. Hand in hand, they started down the hall to their room. "Oh! And thank you, Rose. Nice to meet you Mister Smith," Amy said over her shoulder.

"Pleasure's mine. Goodnight," John called back.

Once they heard the door shut to the guest room, Rose turned to her husband. "Why didn't you tell them who you are?" she asked.

"They don't need to know just yet," John said absent-mindedly. The truth was that he didn't really know why he didn't tell them. Maybe it was because it was too hard to explain. Perhaps it was because John didn't consider himself the Doctor anymore, with one heart, no TARDIS, and only half of a sonic screwdriver. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that the real Doctor, the Time-Lord Doctor, had regenerated. At the thought of this, John found himself staring at the unconscious Doctor, who was buried underneath a massive heap of blankets.

Rose saw him, and turned to look at the familiar stranger lying on her sofa. "Strange, isn't it?" she said. "I can never get over the whole regeneration thing. It's like… you've known a man for so long, grown on him, loved him, and just when you think you've lost him, some new one comes around claiming to be the same."

John looked at her and smiled sadly. "Is that what you thought? When you first met me?" he asked.

Rose leaned over her seat and kissed John affectionately. "No. It's the same package. You're the special deal," she said.

John pulled back after a few seconds. "What I wonder is…would that be me? If I was still the same Doctor, the same Time-Lord, would I have died? Would I have regenerated into some stranger and come knocking on your door?" he said quietly. It did trouble him, for it was fact that he _was_ the Doctor. The only difference was that he was human. And it is never nice to know that you died. Even if there are two of you.

"But you're not the same Time-Lord. You're my Doctor, and you're here with me, and you're going to stay here with me for a long time," said Rose, squeezing John's hand tightly. They sat there for a while, and John was reminded of how much he loved Rose, how much he would do for her. The silence was broken by Rose sighing. "You're going to have to tell them. When the Doctor wakes up tomorrow, and he sees you, you'll have to tell them," she said.

"Then I'll tell them tomorrow. It'll probably be easier with the two of us anyway. But until then, we can all rest," John replied, giving a pointed look at the limp body of the Doctor.

Rose giggled. "Do you want to know what my first thought was when Amy and Rory said that that was the Doctor?" she asked.

"What?" John said curiously.

"I could only imagine your disappointment when you realized that you weren't ginger."

That got a laugh out of John, and Rose's smile widened. "Come on, love. Let's go to bed," she said. John nodded and got up from his position next to his wife, and they both began towards their room. "I love you, John. You know that? Nothing will ever change it," Rose said as they neared their bedroom.

"I love you, too," said John. They shared one last kiss, and disappeared behind their bedroom door.

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Amy and Rory were in their bed. Luckily, it was a queen size, and while it was snug, they both managed to fit underneath the covers. They were lying down, facing each other. Rory appeared fast asleep, but Amy was the exact opposite. The crash was still burned into her mind…

_The TARDIS rumbled and groaned, and suddenly, it felt as if the floor was yanked from under their feet. They were falling through space. "Doctor! What's happening?" Amy shouted over the TARDIS's blaring alarm._

_"We're crashing! I – can't – fly her!" he grunted, spinning controls and pressing buttons on the control panel._

_"Crashing? In space?" Rory yelled._

_"Hurdling through the dimensions! I can make sure we land on Earth – London, if we're lucky." He paused, and his face adopted a thoughtful expression. "Rose will be there," he said._

_"Rose?" Amy said. The Doctor had spoken of his old companion a few times, but never more than a sentence or two, as if the memory was too painful to mention._

_The Doctor snapped out of it. "Rose Tyler! If I can just pull her up…" He typed in a few commands and the name 'Rose Tyler' popped up on the monitor, along with an address and phone number. "There! If Rose is around, then she'll help us." But he had a tone of restraint in his voice, as if seeing Rose would mean more than he let on._

Amy opened her eyes. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep. "Rory," she said in a hushed whisper. "Are you awake?"

Her husband groaned shifted a little in his sleep. "I am now," he mumbled.

"Sorry," she said, and hesitated. "What do you think of John?"

"He seems nice," Rory replied sleepily.

"No, I mean why do you think he knows so much? And how much does he know?"

"Rose told him. I thought he explained it to us, Amy."

"But it's not just that. You heard him. The way he talked about the TARDIS was so…familiar. And I doubt even Rose knew about the Pitastranga-somethings," Amy insisted.

Rory turned to look at his wife. "What are you getting at?" he asked.

"I think there's more to John than what he's telling us. And I want to know what."


	2. Chapter 2: The Complicated Stuff

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the great feedback on my first chapter! I am definitely going to try to be consistent with my updates. Just letting you know now though, It may be a period of up to 5 days between posts because of schoolwork. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2: The Complicated Stuff**

The Doctor woke up to a pounding pain in his head. He groaned and gingerly touched a spot right above his right ear, where the pain was most prominent. He flinched at the skull-splitting pain that racked through his head. "Uuuh," he moaned.

"Doctor? Are you awake?" came a familiar Scottish voice.

The Doctor smiled and sat up, trying his best to ignore the throb of protest from his bruise. "Good morning, Pond. Glad to see you made it," he said brightly. "You too, Rory. Now, want to tell me where we are?"

"London, Earth, 2012," replied a new voice. The Doctor stayed very still, then, and his smile took on a slightly sad quality.

"Hello, Rose," he said quietly, and he turned his head slightly until the young woman was in his view. As he had suspected, she was just as beautiful as ever. She had to be 25 years old now… Yes, that was correct. It had been 4 years since he had last seen her. Her windswept blonde hair was cropped to just below her shoulders. Her large, black-rimmed eyes were staring at him intently, taking in every detail of this new body. The silence between them dragged out, and the Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "You look…healthy," he blurted.

"Healthy?" Rose gave a small laugh and sniffed. She angled her head down slightly and brushed her hand lightly against her cheek. Although she tried to hide it, the Doctor could see the glint of tears in her eyes. He realized that she wasn't crying for him. She was crying for his last body. She was crying for his death.

He hated it when she cried.

"So, how are you two doing? You and…" The Doctor trailed off awkwardly, his eyes flicking to Amy and Rory, who stood, confused, just a few feet away from Rose.

"John," Rose finished in a quivering voice. She looked up again and tried her best to suck up her tears. "John Smith. Yeah, it's been good. We've been married for 3 years now."

"Oh, really? That's…good. Yes, yes, good for you. Congratulations." There was that silence again, and the Doctor cleared his throat. "I suppose I should like to see him," he said. Rose just nodded and offered him a teary smile. The Doctor shoveled the mountain of blankets from him and got unsteadily to his feet.

"Doctor," said Amy in a concerned voice, taking a step towards him.

"I'm fine," he assured him, though his head was pounding and he was swaying slightly from side to side. He looked at Rose. It was true that he was a new Doctor, a different Doctor, but his affection for Rose had never lessened. His mind traveled briefly to River Song. He loved Rose, but he loved River just as much. Oh, this was bloody difficult. And he hadn't even seen John yet.

"He's down the hall, in his study," Rose said, finally regaining control over herself. "Trying to build another sonic screwdriver." A giggle escaped her lips. Her big, beautiful lips. The Doctor shook his head. Think of River, think of River, think of River. "Hello, sweetie," he muttered.

"What was that?" said Rose.

"Erm, nothing. A sonic screwdriver, you said? How's that going?"

"Not very well. He says that human resources are so limited," Rose said with a smile.

The Doctor gave a light laugh. "Yes, quite."

"Another sonic screwdriver? Wait, Doctor, what's going on? What are you talking about?" Rory asked.

The Doctor turned his head to his other companions. It wasn't fair to them, he thought. After his regeneration, he had tried so hard to bury the past. He had spoken so little of it, even to River, and she was his wife! How was he going to explain it to them now? "John Smith is this sort of a past…me…duplicate. Erm, it's complicated. You didn't explain it to them yet?" he asked, turning back to Rose.

"We thought it would be easier with you," said Rose.

"Oh, we'll see how well that turns out," he said. "Right, then! Off to see the wizard!" He started down the hallway, towards the workroom

"Doctor? I still don't understand – Where are you going?" Amy said, following him with Rose and Rory close behind.

"I'm going to go talk to myself," said the Doctor, nearing an open door which was emitting a faint blue light from inside.

He stepped through the doorway to see a man leaning over a work desk on the far side of the room. He looked around. The layout was simple enough, and resembled one of the many rooms in the TARDIS. Counters and tables lined the walls of the square room, and there was a large island stationed at the center. An assortment of little bits and bobs were piled on every visible surface of the room. They ranged from medical books and tools to charts and paperwork, to computers and other pieces of machinery.

"Hello, there," he said. The man turned around, and it was as if the Doctor was staring at an old picture of himself. John hadn't changed a bit, aside from a few new age marks. But besides that, it was the same man in every way. Same wild hair, same pale face with wide eyes, and the same tall, thin figure.

"Oh! You're awake," John said cheerfully. He got up and started towards the Doctor, taking long, confident strides until he was standing right in front of him. "How was your sleep?" he asked.

"Fine, thank you. The ocean of blankets worked; I didn't once get cold," he said.

"Good, good," said John. He began to scrutinize the Doctor, looking him up and down, taking in all the little details. It was a bit easier now that he was standing before him. "It's alright. Could've been worse, I'll admit. Hair's not bad, though you're still not ginger. I like the bow tie, though," he said.

"Yes, it is cool, isn't it?" said the Doctor, fiddling with his burnt bow tie. "And you haven't changed a bit, handsome thing."

"Ah, well–"

"John?" Rose stepped forward. "I'd hate to interrupt you flirting with yourself, but we have work to do. And you still haven't explained things to Amy and Rory!"

"Thank you," said Amy to Rose.

"Ah, yes. The complicated stuff," said the Doctor, rotating slowly to face his companions. John did the same, and they both stared at Amy, Rory, and Rose for a while.

Amy shifted her weight uneasily. The two men in front of her were very different. One was tall, the other average sized. One had a slightly hook-shaped nose; the other's was low and broad. One had a slim chin while the other's was large and defined, and one wore a pinstripe suit with a necktie where the other was still wearing his scorched clothes and bow tie. However, despite all of their differences, there was an air of _sameness_ about them. Their bright, inquisitive eyes peered at the small group the same way. They stood with the same air of confidence and authority. And, as John had just revealed, they both had a knack for delivering half-truths.

"Well, Doctor, where shall we start?" John asked, turning towards the Doctor.

"I'm not quite sure," the Doctor replied absently. He took a step forward. "I've never properly explained the regeneration process, have I?" he asked Amy and Rory.

"Well, we know that you're old, and that you've had different…forms, sort of," Rory replied, eyes still blinking in confusion.

"It's quite simple, really," John said. "I… we… the _Doctor_ never actually dies. He can, but there's another option. See, whenever we're – he's, sorry, whenever _he's_ dying, he can regenerate."

"Every atom in my body starts anew," the Doctor continued. "First I heal, then _I_, strictly speaking, die. However, the atoms still exist. They get reborn into another shape and I end up with a new body, a new personality, and the new Doctor goes on."

"Of course, it doesn't always go smoothly," John added. "If you get a bit too excited post-regeneration, you could have some mild hearts pains. And there's always the possibility that the whole process doesn't run its full course immediately and you have to remain dormant while process completes."

"Is that what you meant when we first met?" Amy asked the Doctor. "You said, 'I'm still cooking.' Did that mean…?"

"Yes, I had just finished regenerating," said the Doctor. "The TARDIS crashing gave me a bit of a scare, and so I had some chest pains for a bit."

"But wait," said Rory, stepping forward. "That still doesn't explain _him_." He jabbed his thumb in John's direction.

"Yes, it does, because _he_ has a name, and it used to be 'the Doctor,'" said John, irritated.

That got their attention. Rory and Amy froze and turned their head slowly to face John. "What?" said Amy.

"Before this," the Doctor made a vague gesture to his body, "I was in a body that looked like that." He gestured toward John and he gave a little wave. "At one point, I lost my hand during a sword fight with the Chief Sycorax – you remember me telling you about the Sycorax?" Amy nodded, and the Doctor continued. "Anyway, an old friend of mine, Jack Hartness, he found my hand and brought it on board the TARDIS.

"After that, I continued my adventures as the Doctor until I was shot through the chest by a Dalek," he said. "I started to regenerate, but aborted once I was done healing and transferred the residual energy into my hand."

"Later, the hand was merged with some human DNA, and I grew out of it," John concluded. "A Time-Lord brain with a human heart. The Doctor dropped me off with Rose in this dimension, and we've been living together ever since." At this, John caught Rose's gaze and they stared at each other adoringly. The Doctor cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"So, basically, John is the clone of one of my past regenerations," he said.

"Well, you could've just said that," Rose said, breaking her gaze with John. "We would've saved a lot more time. Because, if I'm correct, that is something that we don't exactly have a lot of." She looked pointedly at John.

"Yes! Correct. Doctor," John turned to the Doctor, his expression suddenly serious. "We have a problem. When the Pitastrangalorathoris ship passed through the dimensions, it widened the crack. Our two universes are merging, and we don't have much time left before the whole of space and time collapse on each other."

"Yes, I figured as much," said the Doctor.

"Right. So we need to find the TARDIS, fix her up, send the Pitastrangalorithorises back to our dimension, and close the crack. Simple enough," said Rose.

"Not exactly," said the Doctor.

Rose froze, and turned her head slowly to face him. "What do you mean 'not exactly?'" she asked.

"Well… Right before the TARDIS crashed, I set her up to automatically repair herself. She won't be able to function for at least five days," he said.

"_Five days?_ We don't have five _hours!_" John sputtered.

"How exactly are we going to close the gap without the TARDIS?" Rose asked. She looked expectantly at the Doctor.

"Well, I don't know what you all are looking at me for. How should I know?" he asked.

"What do you _mean_ 'how should I know?!' You _always_ know!" Rose said, her voice rising in panic.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't. Amy?" The Doctor turned to the red-haired girl, who was still staring at John with a stunned expression.

"Erm…what?" Amy said, shaking her head.

"What do you propose we do?"

"Um…"

"Think, Amy. We have no TARDIS, and no means of closing the gap between out dimensions. And other than that, we also need to find the Pitastrangalorithorises and send them back to our dimension. The same Pitastrangalorithorises, mind you, that are out for our blood," said the Doctor encouragingly.

"Um, let the Pitastranga-somethings come to us?"

"Let the Pitastrangalorithorises come to us!" The Doctor said with a smile. "Very good, Pond!"

"I'm sorry, but how would it help to go straight to the creatures that want to kill us?" Rory asked.

"Don't let them kill us," said John. "If we could just get aboard the ship, along with the TARDIS, then we'd be able to steer the ship through the gap and close it from the other side."

"And then they'd be able to teleport us back to our Earth before closing the crack," Rose finished, a smile creeping its way onto her features.

"Exactly!" The Doctor was beaming. "Oh, this is fun!"

"Right… Just one question, though," said Rory. "The Pitastranga-somethings came through the crack way out in the Sylandrome System. There's an entire galaxy between us and them. How can we get a signal strong enough to tell them that we're here?"

"Torchwood," Rose said immediately.

The Doctor turned to face her. "Excuse me?" he said.

Rose rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, since you last saw us... well, John and I have sort of made a name for ourselves. After all of the times we've helped save the world from aliens and robots and whatnot, we got noticed."

"How so?" asked the Doctor.

"We're what you might call freelance world-savers," said John. "Whenever an organization like Torchwood or UNIT needs our help, they hire us for a certain amount of time, we do the job, get paid, and fall off their radar until further notice."

"So you've worked for Torchwood," said the Doctor in a flat tone.

"It's nothing like you would think," said Rose quickly. "Like whenever a hostile alien species comes to Earth, we try to find a peaceful solution. If that doesn't work, we scare them away. That's all."

The Doctor gave Rose a look.

"But that doesn't matter right now, anyway," John interjected. "What Rose was getting at was, Torchwood has collected a bunch of things from the aliens we encountered. That includes Ultra-Sonic Interspatial Radios. If we could just get to one of them, we might be able to signal the Pitastrangalorithorises from Earth."

"Fine. We'll talk about this later, though," said the Doctor to Rose.

"Wait, Doctor, I don't understand. Where are we going?" asked Amy as they headed out the front door.

"Canary Wharf," said John.


	3. Chapter 3: Torchwood

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter to my Who fanfic. Sorry about the wait. I had planned on coming up with some clever excuse, but the best I can come up with is that I was busy watching the last of the Who episodes and who else cried like a baby at the end of Angels Take Manhattan?**

**Anyway, thank you guys so much for the loads of positive feedback, and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Don't forget to review, and please enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3: Torchwood**

Both John and the Doctor remembered Doomsday very well. How could they not? It was the day that they had lost Rose. They remembered how the Cybermen invaded Earth from the other dimension. They remembered when Mickey accidentally released an entire army of Daleks in the Torchwood Institute.

But all of that never happened in this dimension. The Genesis Ark was never opened. The Cyber Leader was never destroyed. And Yvonne Hartman was never converted into a Cyberman.

She paced back and forth in the main research room of Torchwood now. Many things happened just recently that made her as frustrated as she was. A series of anomalies that could not be explained by even her most senior officers. There had been random flashes of light across the sky across the entire island that was Britain. Also, giant meteors had seemingly appeared of nowhere and were falling to Earth, the resulting damage being ruinous at best.

She was not even close to being in the mood to talk to 1, 200-year-old aliens with even more bad news.

At the sound of the humongous metal doors open, Yvonne turned. Her nostrils flared as she caught sight of John and Rose Smith. They were a complicated couple. Half the time she saw them, she was trying to either arrest or interrogate them. But the other half, she was practically begging for their help. It was embarrassing and frustrating, and more than any other woman could take. Things would be much simpler if they would just pick, Yvonne often thought to herself. Good or bad? Friend or foe? Us or them?

She cocked her head curiously when she saw the three others. They appeared human enough, though a person as experienced as she knew that appearances could, and often are, deceiving.

Yvonne prided herself in the ability to read people, and she instantly saw tension emanating from the group – between John and a big-chinned man especially. They were both ahead of the rest of the party, almost competing for leadership, though she doubted that even they knew how at odds they were. They were walking briskly in her direction, three guards trailing nervously behind them. Yvonne strode forward to meet the group.

"I'm sorry, Director," began one of the guards. "I tried to stop them, but –"

Yvonne cut him off with a hand. "John Smith. I don't recall giving you permission to enter the premises. In fact, if memory serves, then after our last meeting, I told you that if you ever came here again, I would shoot you to Saturn," she said coolly.

"You'll start to reconsider that once I'm done explaining things," said John.

"Oh, I'm not so sure, especially when you bring a whole trio of unauthorized personnel to the most secret and guarded area in Britain." She looked at the big-chinned man, who was staring at her oddly. Almost…like he knew her.

"Yvonne Hartman," he said.

"How do you know my name?" she demanded.

"Doctor, now may not be the best time," Rose whispered to the Doctor.

Yvonne's eyes widened. "Doctor? Did you just call him Doctor?"

Everybody in the room stiffened, and she saw several of the security guards' hands fall on their guns.

John stepped forward. "The Doctor isn't the problem here," he said.

"Oh, really? You can't honestly tell me that the Doctor doesn't put everyone near him at risk." She looked at the Doctor with a cautious gaze. "You may not have come to this dimension very often, Doctor, but you _have_ made a name for yourself. With the number of enemies you've made, your very presence puts the country at stake."

"Forget the country, the entire universe could be ripped apart if you don't listen," Amy butted in.

"Thank you, Amelia," said the Doctor.

"No problem."

"What do you mean, 'ripped apart?'" said Yvonne.

"There is a crack in the dimensional layer, and if we don't close it soon, reality itself will collapse," said John.

"Well why can't you just fly up in your big, blue box and close it from space?" asked Yvonne.

"We can't, she's sleeping," said the Doctor impatiently.

"Sleeping?"

"Never mind that!" Rose stepped forward, irritated. "What we need, Director Hartman, is access to the Interspatial Radio. An alien ship followed us through the vortex, and if we could just get a hold of their ship, then we might be able to seal the crack and return the Doctor and his friends to their own dimension."

"You most certainly cannot," said Yvonne.

"Are you kidding me? Director, every second we waste pulls the universes closer together. We're fraying the rope that binds our dimensions, and that ship may be the only hope planet Earth has!" John shouted, his frustration mounting.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, but I will _not_ willingly bring a potentially hostile alien force to Earth," Yvonne stated with equal force.

The Doctor caught sight of one of the computer monitors. He skimmed over the information on the meteors that had recently struck Earth. "What's this?" he said, walking slowly to the computer.

"We've been experiencing some…unexpected meteor showers," said Yvonne.

"You see, _this_ is exactly what I'm talking about," said the Doctor. "The two dimensions are fusing together. The crack is pulling more and more space into our dimension. The meteors are just the beginning. Soon, living organisms will be transported through. That's hundreds of potentially hostile alien forces." He looked into Yvonne's eyes meaningfully. "Would you risk it?"

Her eyes were hard and her mouth was a thin, white line. This Doctor was just as infuriating as John. "If I let you use the Radio and you were able to signal the alien ship, what would happen then?" she said slowly.

"With the strength of the signal that the Radio would send out, assuming that the Pitastrangalorithorises remained in the Sylandrome System since their arrival, it would only take about three minutes to reach the ship, and just under twenty minutes for them to reach Earth," said John.

"And when they do get here, how much danger are we humans in?" she asked.

"None, as long as you stay out of the way," said the Doctor. "The Pitastrangalorithorises are only after us." He gestured to his two other companions. "If you just keep quiet and let them get what they want, then they'll leave you alone."

Yvonne drew herself up and squared her shoulders, the way she always did when making a deal. She turned to John. "Alright, Mr. Smith. I'll let you use the Radio. But, three other officers and I must also be present when the aliens get here. Do we have a deal?" She held out her hand.

John and the Doctors gave each other a weary glance. They both didn't trust Yvonne Hartman, not entirely at least. But, they had precious little time left before the end of the universe, and were running low on options.

John sighed. "Alright," he said, stepping forward to shake Yvonne's hand. As their palms touched, it felt as if cold fingers were pricking at the back of his neck, and a sudden feeling of foreboding came over him.

"Lead the way, Director," John said, pushing back the absurd notion.

Yvonne gave John her best smile, though instead of friendly it came across as rather sinister. And though everyone got the feeling that she was going to pull out a gun and shoot them all in the back of the head, she merely turned on her heels and began down the hallway.

* * *

There was silence in the room. Tensions were high like a guitar string about to snap. It had been fifteen minutes since John (with some help from the Doctor) sent the signal to the Pitastrangalorathoris ship. And the room didn't help at all. John, Rose, and the Doctor all exchanged nervous glances. This was the exact same room that had held the Genesis Ark in the other dimension – the same Ark that had been carrying an entire army of Daleks. Rose looked behind her to once again see the massive Radio.

It was about the size of a double-decker bus, and looked like a weird mesh between a satellite dish and a DVD player. Hundreds of buttons, dials, and levers, lined the surface of the large, black box that was the body of the Radio. The satellite on top was a shimmering silver. Since its activation, a low humming had emanated from the Radio, a deep thrum that sounded across the room and vibrated through the walls.

Rose and John stood next to the Radio, holding each other's hands tightly. Yvonne stood in front of her five officers with crossed arms and a concentrated expression. Amy and Rory were standing closer to the center of the room, also holding hands, and the Doctor paced back and forth in front of them.

Rose exhaled slowly. It was a big risk that they were taking, bringing the Pitastrangalorithorises to Earth. There were still several parts of their plan that hadn't been completely worked out yet. For example, how were they going to keep the Pitastrangalorithorises from killing them long enough for them to take control of the ship and fly it into outer space? How were they going to get the TARDIS onto the alien craft? And, of course, how were they going to close the crack without help from the TARDIS?

She glanced at her watch and sucked in her breath. So little time, so little time. She estimated that they had roughly three hours left before the crack ruptured reality and the entire universe tore apart. John squeezed her hand. She looked up at her husband and smiled. He stared into her eyes with understanding. Although he was now human, and could no longer reach into people's minds, Rose sometimes got the feeling that he still knew what he was thinking. Maybe he just knew her that well. Maybe that was love.

The silence was finally broken by shouts from outside and the sound of military boots running through the halls. The head of a security guard poked through the door.

"Director Hartman!" said the young soldier. "An alien ship has been spotted in the mesosphere. It's descending."

In a second, the group was practically racing through the halls and outside. They blinked up into the sky to see a massive spacecraft lowering itself lower in the atmosphere, until in stopped, hovering just above the tip of the Torchwood Tower.

"Ow," muttered John. Rose started and looked down. She realized that she'd been clutching John's hand so tightly, that it had started to turn purple.

"Oh. Sorry, John," she whispered, loosening her grip.

"It's no problem," John whispered back.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and four aliens stood in front of the crowd. Rose heard a sharp intake of breath from everyone around them.

The Pitastrangalorithorises were unlike any alien that Rose had ever seen. They were almost like giant centipedes with a wide, circular mouth lined with jagged teeth. Their flesh was a dull shade of puce, and their eyes were dull gray. But the one thing that stood out to Rose the most was the fact that a quarter of the aliens' bodies seemed to be made out of machine. One had a golden eye encased in a metal case. All of them had mechanical legs that scuttled and waved along with their other, organic ones. They had metal sheets replacing some segments of their body, and Rose could see razor-sharp bits of metal aligned in their mouth with their yellow teeth.

One of the Pitastrangalorithorises made a series of clicks and hisses from its circular mouth. At first Rose was confused as to why it wasn't translating, until she remembered that the TARDIS was broken, and wouldn't be able to translate for the next five days.

Yvonne stepped forward. Even that small, simple movement radiated authority and control. She had on that creepy smile again, like she had no problem with stabbing you in the back to get what she wanted.

"Greetings. I am Director Yvonne Harman, and I represent the British Empire. If you would just bring forth any weaponry that you are currently carrying and explain why you have violated Earth's territory, we can avoid trouble," she said.

"Yvonne, what are you doing?" the Doctor hissed.

"My job," she replied evenly, not once taking her eyes off of the aliens.

The Pitastrangalorithoris that had spoken earlier clicked and hissed again, faster this time, while it waved its stubby legs furiously at Amy, Rory, and the Doctor.

"Those people have more right to be here than you do. Now let me repeat myself - _lay down your arms_."

The Pitastrangalorithorises scuttled back and forth between each other, clicking and hissing violently. Rose looked at the Doctor, who was tapping his feet anxiously. She knew that he could speak every language, without the help of the TARDIS. If he was nervous, then that couldn't be good news.

"Yvonne, stop. You're making a mess of things. They're getting angry, and we still need their ship," the Doctor said uneasily.

"I will decide how to handle the Earth's problems, Doctor, thank you very much," Yvonne snapped, her voice growing colder.

"They are considering just taking what they want and blowing up the planet from space!" the Doctor shouted.

That was the wrong thing to say. Yvonne held up her hand, and every soldier in the area pointed their gun at the group of Pitastrangalorithorises. They ceased their clicking and stood stock still. Although their eyes were blank, gray orbs, Rose could read fury in their faces.

"This is your last warning. Go back to your ship and leave this planet now, or I will order my men to fire," said Yvonne.

The Pitastrangalorithorises all looked at each other, and one of them emitted a high, drawn-out screech that caused Rose to cover her ears. As she looked up, she could see the enormous ship glowing faintly. There were several flashes of light, and suddenly the entire courtyard was filled with the giant bug-like aliens.

One of the Pitastrangalorithorises began to hiss and click with renewed vigor, but was cut off by a sound like a short explosion. It looked down to see thick, orange liquid oozing out of a large hole in its body. The alien gave a shudder, and fell to the ground.

Rose gasped and turned to Yvonne, who was lowering a smoking pistol down to her side. "Fire," she said, and the courtyard erupted into chaos.

* * *

Rory was still as confused as ever, and the battle in the courtyard wasn't helping at all. The Pitastrangalorithorises' screeches were mixed with the thudding of boots and the sound of gunfire. And throughout all of the mayhem, Rory did not once let go of Amy's hand. They got separated from the Doctor as soon as the fighting started, and now all Rory could see was the Torchwood employee's slaughtering the Pitastrangalorithorises left and right. The bodies of the aliens littered the ground, surrounded by puddles of their orange blood. It was now obvious that they hadn't been carrying any weapons.

Although, the aliens weren't entirely defenseless. Rory saw several of the Pitastrangalorithorises chomping on the soldiers' heads with their rugged teeth. Rory had seen many things, travelling with the Doctor, but never before had he been in the middle of a slaughter like this one. It was almost too much to bear.

"Where's the Doctor?" Amy shouted over the noise of the battle.

Rory looked around frantically. "I don't know, I can't see him!" he yelled back.

"Well, we have to find him before – gah!" Amy's hand was torn from her grasp as a Pitastrangalorithoris reared up from behind her and slammed its body down on top of her.

"Amy!" Rory cried in horror. The Pitastrangalorithoris reared up again and opened its mouth menacingly. Rory scooped up a gun from the ground and fired at the alien. Its head exploded, showering him and Amy in orange goop. Rory exclaimed in disgust, and let the gun drop from his grasp. He knelt next to Amy, and hesitantly laid a hand on her back. The battle seemed to disappear to the back of his mind. "Amy?" he said.

Amy groaned and rolled onto her side. "Ow," she said.

"Are you okay?" Rory said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Amy. "My head just hurts."

Rory sighed I relief and helped his wife to her feet. He looked around. "There's no way we're going to find the Doctor in the middle of this," he said.

"Well, what do you propose we do, Mister?" said Amy, rubbing her head in irritation.

"Well, we could… What's going on?" Rory looked around. There were lights flashing in the crowd, and the Pitastrangalorithorises started disappearing. "Are they… running away?" he asked.

"Looks like it. The real question is why," said Amy. They looked at each other.

"Doctor!" they cried simultaneously. They ran through the crowd, searching for the familiar man in the bowtie. "Doctor!" they called occasionally, but that sarcastic voice didn't answer. Amy and Rory had started to get worried, when they heard something that chilled their blood.

"NO!" screamed a voice. "No! Rose! ROSE!"

Rory and Amy shoved their way through a number of Torchwood employees to see John screaming at the sky with wild eyes.

"John! John, what happened?" Amy said urgently, running towards the man.

John stared at her, his eyes clouded with grief and distress. "They took them," he said in a hoarse voice. "They took Rose and the Doctor."


	4. Chapter 4: Allons-y!

**A/N: So sorry for the wait, guys! You might just have to ignore everything I said about posting within 5 days. It's just been really tough trying to squeeze out another chapter, especially with the outrageous amount of schoolwork I got assigned. Admittedly, this chapter is a bit short, but I hope you like it all the same. I'll try to post as soon as possible, but in the mean time, please read&review. Allons-y!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Allons-y!**

The metal box that contained the Doctor was dimly lit by a single red-tinted light. He sat, cross-legged on the floor, just thinking to himself, which drove him absolutely mad. There was nothing – literally _nothing_ to entertain himself with, not unless he found observing the smooth, metal floor particularly interesting.

Usually, surrounded by people and objects and other things, the Doctor's thoughts flew by so quickly, that it was nearly impossible to keep track. But all alone in a metal box, the Doctor could only think of one thing – his friends. Were they safe? Had they been killed? Captured? Probably not, since he had yet to any of them on the vessel. The Doctor had very little experience with the Pitastrangalorithorises, since they were so cut off from the rest of the universe, but he could guess that they would keep their prisoners in the same area.

As if on cue, the metal door that was the entrance to the chamber slid open to reveal two Pitastrangalorithorises on either side of a human prisoner. The Doctor's breath caught in his throat. It was Rose.

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed, rushing forward and embracing him affectionately. Almost immediately, she separated herself from the Doctor, her cheeks red. "Sorry," she said. "It's just… you know, in the whole battle… um…"

"No, that's quite alright," said the Doctor. He grasped her tightly by the shoulders and stared into her eyes intently. "Do you know what happened to the others? Amy and Rory? John?" he asked.

Rose shook her head. "No," she said. "There was too much going on. I barely knew when I'd been captured."

Well, good news: Rory, Amy, and John mostly likely hadn't been captured. Bad news: they could be dead.

One of the Pitastrangalorithorises that were standing in the doorway spoke up. "_Enough talking. The Doctor and the Yellow Girl will follow us_," it clicked.

"_What for?_" the Doctor hissed back.

"_You, Trespasser-of-Our-World, will be executed. The fate of the Yellow Girl will be determined by our Supreme_," replied the Pitastrangalorithoris calmly.

"Doctor, what's it saying?" Rose asked cautiously from beside him. He looked down. The way she stood, the way she spoke and asked questions and looked at the aliens brought back so many memories. Not a day had passed by when the Doctor didn't think about her, and now, with her standing right next to him just like old times, it felt like he was reliving his past. It was a good feeling. "Doctor?" Rose asked again.

He blinked, and was once again aware of their situation. "Oh. They want us to come with them – to meet their Supreme," he said.

The Doctor had barely even finished his sentence when the Pitastrangalorithorises entered the metal room and ushered them out the door and into the hallway, which was basically a long, metal corridor that was also lit by several dim, red lights. The whole time, the Doctor was trying to find a way out of the situation. He became increasingly frustrated with himself. If only he had more experience! He didn't know anything about the Pitastrangalorithorises, not a single bloody thing. Not the layout of the ship, not the culture, their traditions, what their organs looked like. In fact, the only useful thing that the Doctor knew about them was the fact that they existed.

He looked over and around the long hallway, and noticed something. It all appeared to be one solid block of metal, bent into the shape of a tube with a flat side. There wasn't a seam in sight – not a single flaw. Obviously, they were expert craftsmen. He took in another look at their semi-mechanical bodies. They'd need to be experts, if they melded their bodies with machine. Now, how could that knowledge work to their advantage…

"_So, what's the planet like?_" the Doctor said to the alien standing closest to him.

"_What?_" it asked.

"_Your home world. I've never been there myself. What's it like?_"

"_Why would you need to know that?_" the Pitastrangalorithoris responded.

"_Oh… dying man's wish?_" said the Doctor. The alien didn't look convinced. "_Please?_" he added.

The Pitastrangalorithoris paused to consider, then it spoke. "_We were originally considered a major evolutionary flaw. A mistake, a dead end. The very air we breathe on our planet is toxic to us. From the moment of our birth, we must be taken and undergo surgery. Most of our major body parts are replaced by machine,_" it said.

The Doctor smiled, a plan forming in his head. "_What sort of energy powers your machinery? Nuclear? Electrical? Some sort of fossil fuel?_"

"_All of them._"

"_What?_"

"_Our organ systems are so complex, that we need different types of energy to make sure our insides function at maximum potential. If there's a type of energy source used in the universe, then we've got it here in our bodies_."

The Doctor then turned to Rose. "When I say 'run,' run. OK?" he said. Rose grinned and nodded. He turned back to the Pitastrangalorithoris. "_Tell me, have you ever heard of a sonic screwdriver?_" he asked.

"_A what?_" it said.

Faster than blinking, the Doctor reached into his burnt jumper and whipped out his sonic screwdriver. "Geronimo!"

He turned it on.

Immediately, the Pitastrangalorithorises collapsed and started writhing on the floor, screeching and wriggling in agony. Sparks flew from their metal body segments, and they began to foam at the mouth, no doubt a result of their internal machinery malfunctioning.

"RUN!" screamed the Doctor. He grasped Rose by the wrist. They turned, and before the Pitastrangalorithorises had time to pick themselves off the ground, Rose and the Doctor were gone.

* * *

Down an empty road, a deep-blue Lexus RS zoomed past signs and traffic lights. It was getting close to Christmas, and, once again, almost the entire London population had left the city in fear of what alien activity might occur. But this time, there was nowhere in the entire universe they could hide.

John thought of this somberly in the driver's seat. He imagined what might happen if they didn't succeed. He thought of Amy, Rory, the Doctor… and Rose, especially. He thought back to the battle at Torchwood. He hadn't even realized that Rose was missing until it was all over. Once again, he had lost the one thing that he could not live without. John had been completely powerless to save her. Just like he'd been completely powerless at Canary Wharf, when the Daleks and the Cybermen had invaded.

John was pulled out of his thoughts when Rory spoke up from the back seat. He had originally tried to sit in the passenger, but John had made a face. Rose always sat in the front with him. "So, is there anything about you or the Doctor that we should know?" he said.

"What?" John asked, still not entirely in the present.

"The Doctor. He isn't always completely open with us. Since you seem like a pretty honest guy… I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted to share with us," he said.

John drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking of how to answer. Oblivious to his actions, John found himself thrumming a beat of 1-2-3-4. "I'm not entirely sure how much I can really tell you. I don't know the Doctor like you might think. We may be made of the same original substance, and we may share the same memories, but you have to understand. When I, or the Doctor I mean, regenerates, everything about him changes. It's an entirely different personality. Really, the Doctor is as much a mystery to me as he is to you. Less, in fact, since I only just met him yesterday," he said.

"Well, what about the actual regeneration? How much can you tell us about that?" Amy asked.

"He basically explained the whole process this morning. What more is there to tell?"

"Like…how many times has he done it? Can you tell us that?" she said, making a vague gesture with her hand.

John bit his lip. "Assuming that he's only done it once since I last saw him? About…10 times, I think." He paused. "Yep. He should be in his 11th body right now," he confirmed.

In the mirror, John could see both Amy and Rory's jaw drop. "_11__th_ body?" Amy said, her voice suddenly much smaller.

"What, is there something wrong with having 11 bodies?" John asked.

"No, I mean… It's just like you've known a man for your entire life… Just _one_ Doctor is enough to drive you mad, but now, when you find out that he's an entirely different man—"

"_Eleven_ different men," Rory corrected.

"Wait. What do you mean you've known him your entire life? Surely you haven't travelled with him for that long," John asked, confused.

"No, no, I haven't. But I've known the Doctor since I was 7 years old," said Amy. "Right after he had regenerated, his TARDIS crashed in my back yard. I called him the Raggedy Doctor, because his suit was in shreds when I first saw him. Since then, he's always just been big part of my life."

"All she would talk about growing up," said Rory. "'Oh, Raggedy Doctor this, Raggedy Doctor that.' I almost thought I had to compete with him." That last sentence had an air of dry humor to it, and John saw Amy give Rory a sheepish look.

John decided to change the subject. "So, where did you say the TARDIS crashed?" he asked.

"It shouldn't be too far now. We parked her right near…" Rory trailed off, peering out the window, searching the buildings for that familiar blue box. "There! Just tucked away next to that street lamp," he said.

John turned the corner and parked the car next to the curb. He caught sight of the TARDIS, and his heart dropped. He immediately rushed out of the car and ran out to get a closer look at his old time machine. "Oh, no…" he murmured as he neared the blue box. "You poor girl, what happened to you?" The paint was faded, chipped, and scorched beyond belief. The windows were cracked and covered in smoky black blotches. The sign on the door was almost completely torn off, and the light bulb at the top appeared to have shattered. The silver door handle was tarnished and terribly bent, and the wooden walls looked like they would collapse any minute. John laid a gentle hand on the side of the machine, careful not to further damage the already rough and splintered wood. The surface was warm and vibrating slightly, a sign that she was still repairing herself.

"Can you still fly her?" Rory asked, coming up to John from behind.

"I don't know. She's in really bad shape. Even if I could get the engine started, I'm not sure how long she'd last." He turned to face the skinny blonde. "It's very dangerous, trying to fly her while she's on automatic repair. She could break down at any moment, and we'd be catapulted through space with no TARDIS to protect us."

"Since when has travelling with the Doctor ever been safe?" Amy put in.

John paused to consider. "Good point, but still…" He looked back at the damaged TARDIS. "I'm not even sure if the Doctor would try something like this," he finished.

"If we don't, then Rose and the Doctor will die, the universe will be ripped to shreds, and everybody will perish," said Amy.

"What a happy way to put it," John muttered, but then he cleared his mind, and his gaze hardened. A single thought ran through his head: _ I lost Rose once, I won't lose her again_. He sighed. "Alright, then," he said, rolling his head and cracking his knuckles. "Best not wait. Allons-y!"


	5. Chapter 5: Explanations and Not

**A/N: The next chapter is UP, ladies and gentlemen! I've been writing in overdrive, because of all the extra time this Frankenstorm has given me, canceling school and all. I hope you guys like it, because I'm actually feeling really good about it. Don't forget to write a review, and please enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Explanations and Not the Right Time**

"So, what is it you're doing again?" Rose asked, peering over the Doctor's shoulder as he shined his sonic screwdriver at different clusters of wires.

"Haven't the foggiest. I can't read a single thing in here. The tech is so advanced, I'll be lucky if I cant get access to the layout of the ship," replied the Doctor, frowning in concentration as he observed the reading from his sonic screwdriver.

"Fantastic," Rose muttered. She looked around and down the hallways. They had been exploring the ship for nearly a half-hour, trying to access some controls and avoiding the Pitastrangalorithorises whenever they popped up. She looked down at the Doctor once again. She could only see the back of his head, a heap of tousled brown hair. Rose bit her lip, and resisted the urge to pet it. When she had been travelling with the 10th Doctor, Rose had played with his hair all the time. It was a habit that she now shared with John. But looking at the Doctor now just felt strange. It took all of her strength to remember that this wasn't the same Doctor. This wasn't the Doctor she knew. That Doctor was dead.

Rose snorted in a sort of half-laugh. "What?" said the Doctor, not turning away from his work to look at her.

"Nothing, it's just… Do you remember all of those times we had? We'd be captured, all hope would seem to be lost, and then you'd do something…remarkable, and the world would be saved once again by the great Doctor," said Rose.

Doctor paused for a moment, then continued. "Of course I remember, Rose. How could I forget?" he said softly.

"Do you remember when the Sycorax invaded? Or when you took me to see the London Olympics? Or how about the Gelth, do you remember the Gelth? Such a long time ago…" Rose laughed again and sniffled.

This time, the Doctor did stop. He turned to look at Rose with a thoughtful gaze. "What is it you want to say, Rose?" he said in a low, gentle voice.

"It's nothing. It's stupid," she said, sniffing again.

"Rose." She blinked down at the Doctor. His brown eyes stared into hers so intently, that it felt as if she couldn't move, as if his gaze was holding her in place. Like she would never leave. She didn't want to. "You know that you can ask me anything, right?" he continued. "Anything at all. I'll answer it, and I'll tell you the truth. I promise."

Rose could barely hold back her tears, and her voice shook as she spoke. "How did you die?"

The Doctor looked down and sighed sadly. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that," he said glumly.

"Look, if you don't want to answer – "

"No, no. I said I'd tell you, didn't I? Besides, you have a right to know. You and John." Rose blinked. Scary. It was almost like she had forgotten about John. It wasn't for long, a minute at most, but she had. She had been so swept up in the magical world of the Doctor, that she had forgotten about her own husband.

The Doctor sighed again, and then started to speak. "It wasn't that long after I left you with John. I knew I was going to die, you see. The Ood, they warned me that I would. They said, 'he will knock four times.' I thought I knew what it meant. I thought I could stop it, but I never had a choice." He laughed without humor. His throat felt like it was closing, and Rose realized that the Doctor was near tears, too. He took a moment to clear his throat, and then continued.

"It was to save a friend. Wilfred was his name. There was a nuclear reactor that had been pushed into overdrive. Loads of radiation was about to flood into this one room, but he was trapped inside. He knocked four times. Like this." He rapped his knuckles against the smooth metal wall. "I could free him. I knew how, but I couldn't do it without locking myself in there." The Doctor let his arm fall to the floor, and he took a shuddering breath. Rose could tell it was difficult for him to tell this story, and she almost asked him to stop, but then he just kept talking.

"The thing was…I almost left him. I was just about to abandon him in that room, when he'd been nothing but kind his whole life. I told him outright: 'You are not remotely important. I could do so much more.'" The Doctor paused and looked down at his hands. "'So much more.'"

The Doctor then looked Rose in the eyes, and it was the one time that Rose really got a sense of how old he was. He had the body of a young man, a handsome man, but the eyes of someone who had seen so many things. He had seen entire civilizations rise to the height of their power and then fall so hard. He had seen the passings of kings and queens. He'd met so many good people, and had seen too many of them die before their time. "That was when I knew I had to go. When you get so old, and so lonely, that the deaths of those who are dear to you is almost _typical_ – " he spat out the last word " – then you know you've lived too long.

"But it was alright. I accepted it in the end, so…so I let him out, and I got stuck in the room, and I got blasted full of radiation. And…then, I died," he finished.

Rose tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. "On Christmas, in 2005, I saw you. You looked like you were in pain. I thought you were drunk. Were you…?" she trailed off, and the Doctor only looked at her somberly. "Oh, God." Rose covered her mouth, which was now hanging open in a silent gasp.

The Doctor looked down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have told you."

"No. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to know," Rose said in a shaking voice. "Th-thank you."

The Doctor offered her a sad smile, and Rose tried to return it, but it was a little hard when all she wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and cry.

She looked down and placed a hand on his shoulder. His jumper was scorched and crinkled, but soft to the touch. "You said you accepted it. That you were OK with it in…in the end," she said. The Doctor nodded. "Are you happy? The way you are now?" He muttered something incomprehensible, and started to lean forward, and Rose found herself doing the same. The aliens, the crack, the TARDIS – they all seemed to become tiny, so insignificant. There was only her and the Doctor. They were the only two in the whole universe. It was the same feeling she got when they were travelling together, the same feeling she thought she would never get again when the Doctor left her and John on that beach 4 years ago. They were within a hare's breath of each other now, so close that Rose could hear his two hearts.

"I, um, I should find that map," he breathed.

Rose blinked. The moment was lost. She pulled back and cleared her throat. "Right. We don't have much time left," she said awkwardly.

The Doctor nodded. Was it just the red lighting, or was he _blushing?_ "I think I've figured it out anyway," he said. "There's this stream, this constant signal that flows through the whole ship, sort of like a radio station. That's how they communicate throughout the ship. They can tap into the signal and share messages with each other, or pull out information that is constantly running through."

"Like a telepathic announcement system," said Rose.

"Yes. If I can just get past this firewall, then I'll have access to the main databank, and I can get the ship's layout, defense information, tap into discussions from the main bridge – anything we might need." He looked up at Rose. "I might even be able to get control over the teleport system."

"You could get John, Amy, and Rory up here!" Rose exclaimed.

"And the TARDIS," the Doctor added. "It's going to be difficult, though," he said as he saw Rose's face brighten. "It'll take a while. Honestly, you could build a TARDIS with this technology."

"Try to be quick. We only have…" Rose glanced at her watch. "…two hours until the end of the universe, give or take."

The Doctor closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "OK. That's OK. We've been in tighter situations," he said, though Rose thought he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

* * *

"Are you almost done?" Amy said, standing next to the console in the main control room of the TARDIS. John was tucked away under the floor in the Doctor's usual working area. He was fiddling with wires and controls, shining his sonic screwdriver into every control box he could find, and occasionally sniffing at the wires and touching them lightly to his tongue. Amy was leaning on the railing that lined the side of the console. Rory was up the stairs, leaning against the rail. He had a look on a face that told Amy that he was deep in thought.

"It's hard to speed up the recovery system any more. Be gentle with her, Amy. She's been through a lot," John said from under the console.

"Look, Mr. Smith. I know you care about TARDIS. I do, too, but the universe is about to be blown to pieces. We can't really afford to be gentle right now," she said.

John's head popped up from beneath the floor that held the console in place. "You don't think I know that?" he demanded, suddenly furious. "You don't think I want to see my wife again? You don't think I can't live without her?"

"Look, John –" Rory tried to interrupt.

"_You_ piss off!" John spat. Rory started backwards, eyes widened in shock. John turned to face Amy again. "You think you know loss. You think you've seen every little horror the Doctor can throw at you, but you're still a _baby_. I _am_ the Doctor! Every single dirty secret he has ever kept from you is right here." At this, John jabbed his finger upward, pointing at his head. "Now I may lose my home. I may lose my sonic screwdriver, which I _just_ finished this morning." John held up his silver instrument. "But I'll tell you what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to lose the Doctor. I'm not going to lose Rose. And I'm not going to lose the TARDIS." John paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "Now unless you want to try and fly her on the Pitastrangalorithoris ship by yourself, be quiet, and for God's sake, _be patient_."

John looked back and forth between Amy and Rory. "Thank you," he finished, and disappeared under the console again.

Amy and Rory shared a worried look, both shocked into silence. Amy understood that John was stressed, and she should expect him to be cross when she kept pestering him, but his outburst was unexpected, to say the least. It was true that John was an entirely different Doctor, but Amy knew one thing: whenever her Doctor got emotional, he made mistakes. He didn't think straight.

"I'm, uh, I'm just going to go…uh, check on the, um…control…TARDIS…thing. OK, bye," Rory said awkwardly, and exited the room.

"I'm sorry," Amy muttered. She heard John sigh.

"No, no, it's fine. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just frustrating! I wish we had more time!" he said.

"You must really love her," she murmured.

"What?"

"Rose. You must really care about her."

The buzzing of John's sonic screwdriver stopped, and he stayed silent for a moment. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I really do."

"How long have you known her?"

"A long time. Ever since I met her, back in 2005… I don't know. There was just something about her, something different from any other human I met. I asked her to travel with me the first day I knew her, and when she said yes, it was like this constant loneliness that I had known for so long just disappeared. I'd had companions before, but Rose was different." The buzzing resumed. "It was such a long time ago. I was an entirely different man back then," he said. "I've always loved Rose, and I don't think I'll ever stop."

Amy's mind travelled briefly to the Doctor. Did he still have feelings for Rose? She quickly shook the thought from her head. No. An entirely different man, John said. Besides, he was already with River. It was a silly thought. He couldn't possibly –

Suddenly, there was a crack, and static spewed off of a bunch of wires. "There!" John exclaimed triumphantly. He hopped onto the main floor and immediately began to work on the console, turning dials, pulling levers, and pushing buttons. The TARDIS rumbled, and there was a sound like she was powering up. The lights on the walls seemed to glow brighter, and she began to make that familiar TARDIS-sound.

"What? Is it working?" Amy asked, standing up straighter.

"Yes! My dear Amelia Pond, we have ourselves a functioning TARDIS!" John shouted excitedly, spinning controls with renewed vigor. Amy grinned, her hope restored. They could do it. They could actually do it.

"I'll just set the coordinates… Pitastrangalorithoris ship… London, 2012… 11:12 AM…" He flipped a final switch, and the TARDIS began to shake like she always did during flight.

Rory appeared in the doorway. "Did you get it to work? Are we leaving?" he asked.

John looked up and grinned at him, and Amy could see a bit of her Doctor shining through that smile. "Ah, Mister Williams, you're just in time. We have liftoff!" he said brightly.

Rory gave a small whoop and hopped down the stairs to stand next to his wife. He clutched her hand and stared into her eyes with a smile on his face. Within a few minutes, they would be with the Doctor, and everything would be alright again.

"Yep, I didn't even think I could do it, but it was simple, really. See, what I did was I just rerouted this circuit here –"

John was interrupted by a _whoosh_-ing sound, and the TARDIS jerked sideways. Amy and Rory stumbled to regain their balance. John was knocked to the ground. With difficulty, climbed back to his feet, leaning heavily on the console. "What?" he sputtered. The ground beneath them began to quake, and the walls echoed with a terrible grinding noise. "What?" he said again, more alarmed.

"John, what's going on? What's happening?" Amy yelled.

"We're caught in some kind of tractor beam!" he shouted back. John looked up at Amy, and she read clear distress in his eyes. "They're trying to teleport us onboard," he said.

"Wait – but, isn't that a good thing? Weren't we trying to get onboard?" Rory said frantically.

"Not if we're trying to fly at the same time! And certainly not if the ship's damaged!" John cried.

"Why? John, what's going to happen?" Amy asked.

John only had time to look up and give her a panicked look before they crashed.


	6. Chapter 6: More Running

**A/N: Greetings, my faithful followers! Here's the next chapter to my fanfic, and I just want to apologize again for the wait. I hope you guys know that I will NOT abandon you on this story, no matter how many cliffies I choose to inclued. I do appreciate all of the encouragement you guys have been giving me, and I'll post the next chapter ASAP, promise! ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 6: More Running**

The lights of the TARDIS flickered on and off. Rory was lying on his stomach. He groaned and climbed to his feet and looked around. Sparks flew from several controls on the TARDIS's console, and there was shattered glass scattered on the ground. Amy was lying down next to him, also on her face. "Amy? Amy, are you OK?" Rory said, kneeling next to his wife. She didn't respond, but instead lifted her head with a grunt of discomfort. Rory sighed in relief. She was alright.

"Rory?" Amy shook her head, and Rory offered her a hand. She accepted gratefully, and climbed to her feet. "Did we crash?"

"I think so. I don't know where, though. Probably on the Pitastranga-something ship," he said.

Amy ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, at least we're alright. I should probably wake John," she said, glancing over at him. He was on the other side of the console, sprawled on his back and eyes closed.

"Good idea. I'll check to see where we are." Rory hurried down the steps and opened the door. He barely poked his head out before there was a hissing screech, and a sound like a laser firing. Sparks showered down from the spot right above Rory's head, and he jerked himself right back inside and slammed the door.

"What? What is it?" Amy asked from behind the console.

"Well, the good news is that we made it onto the ship," Rory said.

"Are there any Pitastranga-somethings around?"

"Right outside, actually."

"Great," Amy muttered. "And, um, Rory? I think you'd better look at this." Her voice had a hint of concern to it.

Rory groaned, "What is it now?"

"He won't wake up."

Rory made a look like _not again_ and bent down to examine John. The upper part of his head was swollen and dotted with dark purple bruises. A thin cut that extended from his mid-forehead to the far right temple oozed a steady stream of blood. Rory lightly touched the tip of his finger to the wound, and John grimaced in his sleep.

"What's wrong with him?" Amy asked. Rory shook his head unhelpfully.

"Could be a concussion, but I can't tell how serious it is until he wakes up. I don't like the look of that cut, though," he said, eying the injury warily.

"Well, can't you _do_ something?" Amy said, a note of panic touching her words.

Rory glanced at the door of the TARDIS. It was glowing bright red around the edges, and he could hear the clicking and hissing of the Pitastranga-somethings on the other side. "No… not enough time…"

Amy followed his gaze to the door. "The TARDIS? But…no. We're safe, right? Didn't the Doctor say that nothing could get past those doors?" She turned back to her husband, a frightened look in her eyes. "Nothing can put a dent in it, right?"

"Don't forget that the ship's damaged," Rory reminded her. "And if they're not _at least_ denting it, then I don't know what they're doing." He gestured to the door, which was now creaking from whatever the Pitastranga-somethings were doing to it.

"Well, what do you propose we do now, Mr. Nothing-Is-Going-To-Work?" Amy asked, frustrated.

"You expect me to know?" Rory snapped back.

Amy made an exasperated noise. "There must be _something_. A back door, emergency engine – anything!"

Rory jumped up and started messing with stuff on the console.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"I don't know! The Doctor just presses stuff and something happens," Rory said, flipping switches and pressing buttons like there was no tomorrow. For all he knew, there wouldn't be.

"You don't even know what'll happen," Amy scolded.

"I doubt it'll be much worse than our current situation," he countered. Finally, he pulled a lever, and a holographic image of the Doctor appeared next to him.

"Hello," said the Doctor hologram. "You've just activated the emergency defense mechanism. Please state the access code to begin."

"_Access code?! _You need a bloody _access code?!_" Rory came close to shrieking.

"Incorrect. Please state the access code to begin."

A low, drawn-out creak emitted from the TARDIS door, and Rory could hear the sound of sparks and sizzles from the other side. "Oh, alright. How about 'please save us now before we die?'" Rory said.

"Incorrect. Please state the access code to begin."

"Doctor! Please help us!" Amy wailed. She was on the other side of the room now, trying to barricade the door.

"Incorrect. Please state the access code to begin."

"Oh, I don't know. 'The Doctor is the best?' 'Don't blink?' 'Hello, sweetie?'" Rory yelled.

"Incorrect. Please state the access code to begin."

"Jesus!" Rory yelled. He looked at the door again. It was bulging inward slightly, and the Pitastranga-somethings were clicking excitedly. They didn't have much time left. "Just start with the shooting and the saving already!"

"Incorrect. Please state the access code to begin."

"Fish fingers and custard!" Amy blurted, still piling various items in front of the door.

"Access granted. Security system enabled. All weapons online," said the Doctor hologram.

Rory didn't even pause to question it. "Fire everything!" he screamed, and then ducked down as an ear-splitting ringing noise blared throughout the whole ship. The room grew dark, and the TARDIS shook violently.

Suddenly, all noise ceased, and everything stood still. There was no light except a few flickering buttons on the console. "Amy?" Rory panted, squinting in the dark. He could just make out her faint outline next to the door.

"I'm here," came her reply. "What happened?"

"I think it must've…drained the power or something," he said. He walked over to the console and tapped a dial that was glowing faintly. It looked a lot like a gas meter that one would find in a car. The little red needle was pointing at the E, but was very, very slowly edging further up the meter. "We must be on emergency reserves. She's recharging," he said, looking up at his wife. Amy had her head pressed up against the door.

"I don't hear anything," she said. "Do you think they're dead?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't open that if I were you," Rory said cautiously.

Completely ignoring him, Amy began to shove away some of the stuff that she had piled against the door. "I'm going to check," she said. After moving the rest of the boxes and gadgets that used to be blocking the door, Amy creaked it open and peeked outside. She closed it soon after, a sick expression on her face. "Yeah," she said, her voice shaking a bit. "Yeah, they're dead."

Rory looked around, though he couldn't see much in the dark. "Others would've heard the TARDIS. We should get moving, before more come."

"And what about John?" Amy gestured to the man who was still lying, unconscious, on the ground.

Rory looked at him. "I guess we'll just have to carry him." He paused. "We still have a bit of time left before other Pitastranga-somethings get here. Can you get some wipes and bandages from the infirmary?" he asked.

"The medicine cabinets will be locked," Amy said.

"Here." Rory bent down and patted the floor with his hands. Finally, he came across a small, cool cylinder. As he had suspected, John had dropped his screwdriver when the TARDIS crashed. Rory scooped out the instrument and tossed it to his wife. He heard it clatter against the floor.

"Have you forgotten that I can't catch anything when I can't even see when you're throwing it at me?" Amy said, irritated.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I think I found it anyway." A small blue light came on from in front of the doors, and Rory heard the buzzing of the screwdriver being activated. "Yep. I've got it," Amy confirmed. "I'll be right back." Using the light from the sonic screwdriver as a torch, Amy climbed up the stairs and disappeared down the hall.

As he was waiting for his wife to return with supplies, Rory bent down next to John. He removed his jacket and pressed it against the cut on his head, which was still oozing blood. He heard John suck in his breath sharply, but Rory did not once release the pressure. He didn't want John to lose any more blood.

After a moment, Amy returned, one hand holding the screwdriver, and the other cradling a roll of gauze and some cleansing wipes. "Is this good?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," Rory replied. "Now, I'll need help moving John outside the TARDIS."

Amy groaned and shifted the sonic into her other hand. She tucked the items underneath her arm and bent down to grab John's feet. "One, two, three, lift," she said, and both Rory and Amy pulled John up. "God, what has this guy been eating?" Amy huffed.

They began an awkward shuffle down the stairs and to the entrance of the TARDIS. Rory kicked it open and stepped outside, careful not to bang John on the edges of the door. As he stepped into the hallway, Rory realized why Amy had looked so sick earlier. He could feel the head from the metal floor through his shoes. Charred remains of aliens surrounded the TARDIS. Steam rolled off of their bodies, and some of their mechanical legs were still twitching. Rory tried his best not to gag.

They made their way down the hallway and carried John through the ship for a while before he groaned and rolled his head to one side.

"Set him down, set him down," Rory puffed, eager to give his tired arms a break.

Amy obliged, and put John's feet on the ground. "Oh, so _now_ he chooses to wake up," she said with a hint of dry humor. She leaned over to get a better look at him. "John? Are you awake?" she asked.

John shook his head and blinked up at Amy. "Martha?" he slurred, squinting.

"Martha? No, John, it's me, Amy."

"Amy…" he moaned. "My head…"

"You banged it pretty hard," Rory told him. "How do you feel?"

"Well, my mouth tastes like bile, I can't feel my fingers, and my head feels like it's about to split in two, but other than that, I'm just dandy," John grumbled.

"Here, just lean back a little. Let me see that cut," said Rory. John obliged. Rory peered at the injury closely. The bleeding had stopped. It was now a thick line of dried, rust-colored blood. The skin around it was red and irritated. His forehead glittered with sweat. "Okay, John," he said, gesturing for Amy to hand him the wipes. "I'm going to clean the cut, and then bandage it. Now, this may sting a little." He opened up the packet and brought out the cool, damp wipe. Then, he began to rub it along the wound. John inhaled sharply and grunted in pain.

"Alright," said Rory, now unrolling the gauze. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to try your best to answer them. OK?" John nodded weakly, and Rory proceeded in wrapping the gauze around his head. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Of course I do! It's…erm…um, D-December 15th. Right?" John said uncertainly.

"Yes, very good, John. You're doing very well," said Rory. He tucked the remainder of the gauze underneath the wrap and tied it in a firm knot.

"You don't have to talk to me like I'm 5. I can understand what you're saying," said John, giving Rory an annoyed glance.

"Right, sorry," Rory replied. "You just took a pretty good knock to the head. I _am_ a nurse."

"Well, I'm flattered, but no need to worry. Here, help me up." Rory hesitated. "It's fine," John insisted. "I'd rather not have the universe ripped to shreds on my account, thank you very much." Rory didn't look convinced, but he helped John to his feet anyway. He stood for a moment, swaying uncertainly.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Amy asked.

"Of course I'm OK! I'm as OK as OK can be! Can't find anyone more OK than I am!" John took a confident step forward, and staggered, falling to one knee. Rory and Amy were on him in a second. They slung his arms over their shoulders and supported him while he climbed back up.

"John, I don't think you _are_ OK," said Amy.

"Fine. I'm just…fine…" he slurred, though his brow was beaded with sweat and his voice was tight with pain. Amy gave a confused look to Rory, who mouthed back, _concussion_.

"Fantastic," Amy grumbled. "What do we do now?"

Rory glanced at his watch. They were dangerously low on time. They only had just over an hour and a half until the crack shattered reality like glass. "We don't have time to take him back to the TARDIS," Rory said. "Our best bet is to find Rose and the Doctor and close the gap as quickly as possible."

"But this ship is huge!" Amy exclaimed hopelessly. "How are we supposed to stop the end of the universe 'as quickly as possible?'?"

Out of nowhere, they heard an all-too-familiar voice coming from down the hallway.

"RUUUUUN!" screamed the Doctor as he, accompanied by Rose, sprinted toward them.

"Doctor?" Amy called, surprised.

"No time to talk! Come along, Ponds!" he called, zooming past her with Rose close behind. Amy was about to ask why they were running, when she heard numerous hisses and clicks coming from the direction that Rose and the Doctor had just came from.

"Uh-oh," said Amy, eyes widening in realization.

Rory was a bit slower. "What? What is it?" he asked. Amy readjusted her grip on John.

"Run!" she said, and with both of them supporting John, Amy and Rory hurried after their friends.


	7. Chapter 7: Making Plans

**A/N: Hello, everyone. New chapter's up. It's a bit short this time, but I had some trouble writing. Writer's block is a jerk, isn't it? Anyway, I'm just going to stop apoligizing for waits now because I feel like at this point, it goes without saying. I hope you like this chapter, and please review.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Making Plans**

Amy and Rory's feet clanged against the metal floor as they awkwardly sped through the halls of the Pitastrangalorithoris ship with a half-conscious John in their arms. The hisses and clicks of the aliens behind them were definitely getting closer. Amy's heart felt like it was beating in her throat as the feeling of panic began to boil in her stomach.

_They're getting closer_, she though frantically. _Oh, Lord, they're getting closer!_ As she and Rory passed a fork in the hallway, Amy felt a hand grip her shoulder. She stifled a scream as she was yanked into the smaller, darker hallway, dragging Rory and John in after her.

"Shush," whispered a voice in her ear. Amy sighed as she recognized it as the Doctor's. Soon, she saw a small group of Pitastrangalorithorises scuttle down the hall in the direction that the companions were originally running. Once she was sure that they were a safe difference away, Amy turned to face her friend.

"Are you OK?" he asked, a look of concern in his eyes as he scanned her body for any immediate signs of injury.

"Yeah, we're fine," Rory responded.

"What about John? John?" Rose shoved past the Doctor to get a better look at her husband. John managed to give her a shaky smile before doubling over and vomiting on the floor and the tips of his red trainers. Rose's eyes widened in alarm and she rushed to his side. "What's wrong with him?" she demanded, kneeling next to him.

"He might have a slight concussion," Rory said delicately.

"A _concussion?_" Rose breathed quickly, almost hysterically. "John? John, can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?" She held up three fingers.

John heaved up the last of his sick and glanced up at his wife. His face was sickly yellow, like curdled milk. "Three," he huffed. "And you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine."

"Says the man who just puked up his last two meals," Amy muttered. Rory threw her a look that clearly read, _not now. We don't have enough time._

John straightened his back with a groan and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his suit. "How did you find us?" he asked Rose.

The Doctor answered, "We tried to teleport the TARDIS onto the ship. It was supposed to appear right next to us, but when it didn't, we figured something was wrong. We went looking for you guys, but ran into some unwelcome company along the way."

"Wait – did you say you tried to teleport us? How did you get control over the device?" Rory asked.

"There's a telepathic control system that spreads through the whole ship," explained the Doctor. "Once I got past the firewall, it was elementary. What were you doing trying to fly my TARDIS when she clearly wasn't repaired yet?" he finished, raising an eyebrow.

"Trying to find you," Amy returned. "For all we knew, you could've been about to get your head chopped off."

"Enough of this!" John snapped. "Honestly, you two are giving me a headache." He regarded the Doctor. "You said you were able to access the mainframe. Did you find anything that might be useful?"

The Doctor looked like he wanted to continue talking with Amy, but after a brief hesitation, he turned to John. "I found _everything_ useful. I know the entire layout of the ship, and how to fly it."

"Good." John glanced at his watch. "We have about an hour and a half left," he said with a grin. "We might even have time to spare."

Rose made a face. "Not exactly," she said.

John gave his wife a wary look. "What do you mean, 'not exactly'?"

Rose looked at the Doctor, who was frowning. "Well…" he said. "The thing about the navigation room… It happens to be right next to the Room of Judgment."

Amy sighed. She had no idea what a "Room of Judgment" was, but she could guess it wasn't good.

"And what, do tell, is a Room of Judgment?" John asked.

"It's like a courtroom," Rose answered. "Before we escaped, the Pitastrangalorithorises said that they were going to take me to meet their Supreme."

"What's a Supreme? Like a king?" Amy asked.

"No. It's a lot more," the Doctor responded. "The Pitastrangalorithorises don't believe in any non-physical higher being. They appoint a leader for their different groups, and that leader is like a god to them. They follow them without question. It's like the relationship between an ant colony and their queen. They'd lay down their lives for their Supreme, and if they feel that it's in any form of danger, they'll fight to the last man standing."

"You know what? Don't even tell me. I'm just going to guess that the Supreme is in the Room of Judgment, and we'll have to get through there in order to fly the ship," said Rory.

"How'd you guess?" asked the Doctor.

"Because nothing's ever simple with you. There's always got to be some sort of alien god trying to kill us," said Rory.

"That is how it appears, isn't it?" said Rose sympathetically.

"How do you suppose we solve this, then? Doctor? John?" Amy asked. They all turned to the two expectantly.

The Doctor looked at John. Every new wrinkle and age mark seemed to stand out like a sore thumb. Time-Lords never age. They never grew older. One could look at a 20-year-old Time-Lord and a 20,000-year old, and they'd look the same, but John was human. The Doctor could see the effect that years had had on him. He could even see a few of his dark-brown hairs turning gray. It was the same thing that he had seen in his past companions. They'd get old and frail and weak, and he'd just stay the same. The thought made the Doctor frown. He would never be able to get married, and start a family, and grow old with someone. That was the one adventure he couldn't have. And now Rose was living it. Why would he want to take that away from her?

"Doctor? What do we do?" Amy repeated.

"Well, I don't see much of a choice," he answered, looking back at his friend. "In an hour and 30 minutes, the walls of the universe will break down and we'll all be crushed into dust."

"Everybody's just being so positive today," said John. "Unfortunately, he's right. If that's the only way to get to the navigation room, then that's the way we'll go."

"You don't have to come," said Rose. John raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean," she continued, "you've got a concussion. It probably won't take all of us to pull this off. If you want to wait in the TARDIS…" She trailed off.

"And what about you? Where will you be?" John said softly. Rose didn't answer. "No," he said finally. "I'm not going to abandon any of you, concussion or not. If there's some way that I can help, then I'm going."

"John…" Rose's voice was full of concern. John reached down and grasped her hand firmly. He stared into her eyes intently, and said, "I'm not leaving you."

They stood there for a second, staring into each other's eyes, and the Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Right," he said. "We all love each other very much, now let's go." He spun on his heels and marched down the hallway, with Amy and Rory close behind. John and Rose looked at each other a second longer, and followed their friends.

* * *

Rose Tyler felt awful.

While she was making kissy faces with the Doctor, John – _her husband_ – had risked his life to find her, and had gotten a concussion because of it. What kind of wife was she?

She looked at him now. Though he tried to hide it, it was clear that he was in pain. He half-walked, half-staggered down the hallway. He was still holding her hand. At first, Rose had thought it was to comfort her, but now she realized that he was using her for support. His face was pale and moist with perspiration. She glanced at the top of his head, which was wrapped in gauze. The sight of her husband, who would go to the ends of the universe for her, in such discomfort made her throat feel like it was closing up.

"Are you sure you're OK?" she said quietly to him.

He gave another dry cough before answering. "Yes, I'm sure. Honestly, stop worrying about me. I'm fine."

"Don't be stupid. You're not fine," she said, with a bit more sting in her voice than she intended.

John looked at her, irritated. "Why are you mad at me? Yes, I have a _slight_ concussion. Yes, it's not the most comfortable experience of my life. But that's no reason to act all snappy at me."

"I am _not_ acting snappy!" she snapped. John raised an eyebrow. Rose sighed after a moment. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just…sometimes I worry about you."

John raised an eyebrow. Was that guilt he heard in her voice?

"Anyway," Rose said quickly, "it doesn't even matter, because it's obvious that you're not changing your mind. So let's just focus on closing that crack, and worry about other stuff later."

"Sounds like a plan, love," said John. He squeezed her hand comfortingly. His affection just added to Rose's already massive pile of guilt.

The Doctor stopped and signaled for the others to do the same. "Shh," he said. Very slowly, he peered around a corner. A long line of Pitastrangalorithorises were scuttling down the hallway. Some carried containers filled with a watery black liquid. Others carried small, dead animals that looked like a cross between insects and reptiles.

"What is that?" Amy whispered.

"Food, I'm guessing," the Doctor replied. "They're bringing food to their master."

"What, the Supreme?"

"Yes," he said. "And I'll tell you what, Amelia Pond, you're not going to enjoy what happens next."

"Why? What happens next?" she said, alarm growing in her tone.

"Well, we're going to follow them. And then," said the Doctor, "we're going to be executed."

His sentence was met by silence. He looked back at his friends. Amy and John were staring at him darkly, while Rory and Rose had their mouths half-open in shock. "You're leading us to our certain deaths?" said Rose.

"No, not you," he said. "Nor you, John. Just Amy, Rory, and I. We're the ones that trespassed their air-space. We're going to our deaths. You're going to the navigation room."

"And how are we going to do that?" asked Rory.

"Well, I'll tell you, but first, I have to know," he said, "do you trust me?"

"With my life," Rose said automatically. John raised an eyebrow at her.

"And mine," Amy said. Rory nodded in agreement.

"That's all well and good, but what about you, John?" said the Doctor, turning to look at him. There was a moment of silence when John looked at the Doctor almost cautiously, as if he were a bomb about to blow. John looked between Rose and the Doctor, narrowing his eyes. There was something they weren't telling him, he could tell. What it was, he could only imagine. But he had a pretty big imagination, and he didn't like what came to mind.

"John," the Doctor repeated. "Do you trust me?"

John cleared his throat. "Well, it would be pretty daft if I didn't trust myself, wouldn't it?" he said.

"Daft, but possible. Now, let me ask again – do you trust me?" The Doctor looked at John intently, as if he was trying to read him.

John smiled, though it was obvious that he was anything but happy. "Yes," he said finally. "Yes, I do."

The Doctor smiled and regarded the group. "Right," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Here's the plan."


	8. Chapter 8: Things Go Wrong

**Chapter 8: Things Go Wrong**

The plan was, of course, absurd. Amy knew the Doctor was a genius. He had proven it too many times to count. However, this one time, on this one day, Amy was convinced that he had lost his mind. She made a mental list of the things wrong with their current situation as they followed the long line of aliens to the Judgment Room.

One: There was no guarantee that the Pitastrangalorithorises wouldn't just kill the Doctor, Rory, and herself on the spot as soon as they saw them. Two: John may have the same knowledge as the Doctor, but even he could only guess at how to fly the ship. Three: They could only stall the Pitastrangalorithorises for so long before they realized that something was off. Then all of them could be dead.

Amy looked at the Doctor. She and Rory had changed into fresh clothes that morning, but the Doctor was still wearing his scorched jumper and bowtie. He walked in a semi-crouched position. His brown leather shoes barely made a sound as he quickly pursued the aliens. Even when he was turned so that Amy could mostly see his back, she caught the uneasy expression on his face. The fact that the Doctor wasn't sure of his own plan troubled her. But then again, when traveling with the Doctor, nothing was ever certain.

Still, she thought as she walked swiftly through the metal corridors, there were so many risks. Something just didn't' feel right about walking straight into a death trap.

The Doctor held up his hand suddenly and halted in his tracks. The Pitastrangalorithorises had paused and began clicking amongst themselves. Their metallic legs skittered excitedly on the floor, and some of them juggled their items nervously between their legs. Amy noticed that they had stopped in front of a large circular door that was decorated in shapes and symbols alien to her human eyes. Whatever was behind that door was making the aliens very agitated.

Then, without warning, the symbols started to _change_. The figures started to shift between unfamiliar signs to letters of the alphabet. They shimmered and switched back and forth, as if unsure what language to present itself in. Amy turned to see John smiling. "Do you see that?" he said in a hushed voice. "The TARDIS is starting to translate. That means she's almost healed."

"I thought she wouldn't be ready in 5 days," whispered Amy.

John shrugged. "It's hard to predict things with the TARDIS," came his response.

"Shush," the Doctor said. The one of the aliens that wasn't carrying anything scuttled up to the door and began to wriggle around. It tapped its stubby appendages against different spots on the gateway. Slowly, the door slid to one side, opening a giant, circular doorway. One by one, the Pitastrangalorithorises skittered disappeared through the opening. As the last one marched into the room, the Doctor turned to his companions. "Now this is your last chance," he said. "Are we all doing this?"

Amy and Rory both nodded, and they grasped each other's hands tightly. Amy looked at her husband. They'd been through so much together, and she realized that it didn't matter what danger she faced, so long as she faced it with him.

"Wouldn't even think about leaving," Rose said surely. John nodded in agreement, but Amy just barely caught an odd expression on his face. Suspicion. Almost, resentment. Amy's eyes widened in realization when she realized that his anger, his _accusation_ was aimed at the Doctor.

There was no mistaking it. John was looking between Rose and the Doctor with narrowed eyes. Did something happen between them while they John, Rory, and she were in the TARDIS? Did John know about it?

The Doctor grinned his familiar grin and rubbed his hands together. "Well, then. Let's get to it. Geronimo!" He spun around and started towards the door just as it was about to close. "Hold on, there!" he said, his voice easily carrying across the empty metal hall.

The door halted and began to slide open once more. A Pitastrangalorithoris peeked its centipede-like head from the other side and clicked confusedly.

"Sorry, I didn't properly introduce myself. I'm the Doctor, the Trespasser-of-Your-World. I think I was scheduled for an execution. I'm terribly sorry that I missed my appointment, but some…things got in the way. I hope you'll still be able to squeeze me in," he said brightly.

The alien stared at the group dumbly before emitting a loud screech from its circular mouth.

Almost instantaneously, no less than 20 Pitastrangalorithorises poured into the hall, surrounding the Doctor. He held up his hands in surrender, the barest traces of a smile on his face. "Whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed. "Can't we be a little more civilized about this?"

A Pitastrangalorithoris scuttled forward, and began a rapid series of clicks and hisses. While before, Amy could easily tune out the noise, it was a bit harder this time. The alien's voice sort-of warped and slurred as they came out of its mouth. She could only understand a few words. "Where…others?" said the alien in a strange mixture of clicks and words.

"Here we go," said Rory, and he stepped forward with his hands up. The Pitastrangalorithoris looked between him and the Doctor. "There was…-nother…" Amy blinked and rubbed her temples. This whole thing was giving her a headache. There was another click, and the alien turned to where Amy was hidden in the shadows. "No use… hiding," hissed the alien menacingly. "We…see…"

"She should be around here somewhere," said the Doctor, an impatient edge to his voice.

Amy willed herself to step forward, to walk toward her husband, but her feet seemed cemented to the ground. Fear bloomed in her chest, like a cold sludge weighing her down, keeping her in place.

"You…in there," said the Pitastrangalorithoris. "…out."

"Amy, I think you should come out now," said Rory nervously.

Amy began to tremble. She tried to swallow down the gigantic lump of panic in her throat… She couldn't breathe…

"Show yourself…or…killed." The aliens stepped forward. Amy didn't doubt that they would storm down there and tear her to shreds if she didn't move.

"Amy, what are you doing?" John hissed in her ear. "Go out! Now!"

Amy's heartbeat pulsed angrily in her chest, like a giant sledgehammer trying to bash its way out. She was suddenly so sure that they weren't going to make it. They were all going to die there, on that terrible, terrible ship.

"We will…kill…in 5…4…" continued the Pitastrangalorithoris.

"Amy, I know you're scared, but we'll get through this," whispered Rose. "We just have to stick to the plan."

"3…2…"

"Come _on_, Amy!" said John.

"1."

Amy felt John's strong hand push on her back, shoving her forward and forcing her out into the open. She felt so exposed outside of her shadow hiding space, as if she were naked. Although the Pitastrangalorithoris's face was so alien and seemed to be devoid of any expression, she could've sworn that it smirked.

"Thank you…joining us…" said the alien.

Amy longed to turn around and give John a dirty look, if it didn't risk giving him and Rose away. They were still needed for the plan to work out. Slowly, Amy took one timid step after another until she was standing next to Rory.

"What was that about?" he asked, a note of hostility in his voice.

Amy's voice trembled as she replied, "I don't know… I just froze up, and… Rory…"

"Hey." Rory grasped her hand tightly. His hands were so warm. "Don't ever do that again." Amy looked at him with big eyes, and he sight. "Do you understand? They were about to kill you, Amy. They were going to kill you."

Amy gulped. "I know. I'm sorry, Rory, but I just don't know what happened, and…"

"It doesn't matter. We're here now, right? We're just going to do this and save the world like always, just _please,_" he said, "_please_ don't do that again."

"OK, then," announced the Doctor loudly, looking around at their captors. "You've got us. Now what?"

The Pitastrangalorithoris hissed and squirmed giddily. As it began to speak, it's words became less jumbled – more like hissing, drawn-out English words than an entirely different language. "Yooouu'vve ssssaved usss the trouble of transssssporting yooou allllll the way acrossssss the ship. Yooou'rrre ssssstanding in front of the Judgment Room right noooow."

"Yes, but what happens next?" said Rory impatiently.

The alien hissed, "Yoooouu will be tried in front of the Sssssupreeeeeme for yoooour criiiiiimesssss. He will decide yoooour fate."

"Sounds fun," Amy muttered.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said the Doctor. "Take us to your leader!" His grin was met with silence and solemn stares.

"Were we ssssssuposed to find that amussssssing?" hissed the Pitastrangalorithoris.

"Maybe you weren't," grumbled the Doctor, "but I was having a perfectly good time before you went and spoiled my fun. Never mind, then. Let's just get this trial over with."

The aliens marched the small group in through the circular door.

Bright, blinding light made Amy's eyes water and squint. She'd gotten so used to the dim red lighting of the halls that regular sunlight seemed uncomfortably powerful. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the new light, Amy gasped.

The Room of Judgment was very different from the rest of the ship. The walls were smooth, white, and shiny. Amy would've thought that they'd been made out of plastic, except her boots made a loud metallic clang as she stepped across the floor. The noise of gears turning and machinery working that could be heard constantly through the halls was lost in the room. The quiet seemed almost ghostly. The temperature was significantly colder than in the rest of the ship. Amy shivered in spite of herself. The Judgment gave off this feeling of _emptiness_. Everything that was in there just seemed to be drained of its substance, as if the entire space was just a large area of nothing.

Pitastrangalorithorises lined the walls, standing so still that it took Amy a moment to realize they were there. In the far edge of the room was a large white block that seemed almost invisible against the smooth, white walls. She surly wouldn't of noticed it if not for the alien resting on top.

Without a doubt, that must've been the Supreme. It was perhaps the fattest alien that Amy had ever seen, and she'd seen a lot of fat aliens. Its puce-colored body segments bulged overtop of its metal plates, which creaked and groaned with every movement. It flicked its long, red tongue out between its teeth and regarded Amy, Rory, and the Doctor lazily.

"Whaaaaat are theeeeeeese?" it hissed distastefully. Its voice was deep and grumbly, like a very cranky old person.

"On your kneeeeeeeesssss for the Sssssssupreeeeeeme," said a Pitastrangalorithoris, shoving the small group into a kneeling position. Then, it addressed the Supreme. "Our Lord Sssssupreeeeeme, theeeeeeese are the foreigners that tresssspassssed our ssssssspace. Weeeeeeee have brought them toooooo yoooooou for judgment."

The Supreme turned to the alien slowly and blinked one lazy eye. Under its gaze, the Pitastrangalorithoris seemed to shrink in size until it was just a quivering insect compared to the Supreme. "Why do you disssssssturb meeeeeeee with theeeeeeese trivial mattersssssss? Kill them."

"Wait, wait!" The Doctor sprang up and addressed the room. "Before you go killing trespassers willy-nilly, let me say a few things first." He turned to the Supreme. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"Yooooouu are a tressssssspassssser of our world, and will be killed before you can waaaaaaasssssste any mooooore of my tiiiiiiiime," said the Supreme, irritated.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time-Lord. Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"It means," said the Doctor, "that I am the ultimate master of time, and that I can bend reality to my will." He was using his bluffing voice; Amy could hear it. Without thinking, Amy found herself staring at the other side of the room. She could just make out John's and Rose's crouched forms sneaking behind the crowd of aliens.

"And what," asked the Supreme, "would I want to do with thaaaaaat informaaaaaaaation?"

"Well, it's quite simple, really," he said. "I'll make you a deal. Spare our lives, and I'll give you complete control over the universe."

A harsh, choking sound rumbled from the Supreme. It took Amy a moment to realize it was laughing.

"We have noooooo neeeeeeeed for any more power," it chuckled. "The Pitastrangalorithorises are faaaaaairing well without the heeeeeelp of the outside wooooorld."

"Well, that's good because I was lying," said the Doctor quickly. "What I really meant to say was, if you don't let me and my friends go now, I'll blow up the universe, and you'll blink out of existence."

"We have no neeeeeeed of the ressssssst of the universsssssse. The Pitastrangalorithorissssesss sssssss will ssssssssurvive, and we will keeeeep whatever is left behind."

"Again – a clever lie!" The Doctor was thinking quickly. His eyes flicked around the room for something, anything that he could use. Finally, his eyes rested on Amy and Rory. "I really didn't want to bring this up, but you forced me. Do you know who these are?" The Doctor held out his arm towards Amy and Rory.

"Do they matter?" said the Supreme.

"'Do they matter?' My dear Supreme, you are in the presence of none other than the Duke and Duchess of the great and bountiful Banana Empire!" He looked at Amy and Rory expectantly.

Amy's eyes brightened. "Oh, yes!" she said. "That's me. I am very royal and… cross."

"Yeah, and me, too," Rory added.

"Banana Empire? What isssss thissss?" said the Supreme, allowing a shred of curiosity to reach his voice.

"The Banana Empire spreads over thousands of planets. It is the largest kingdom in the universe. And I can tell you one thing, Mister Supreme, they didn't get to that point by just sitting in their solar system all the time."

The Supreme leaned forward as much as his obese figure would allow. "What do you meeeeeeaaan?"

"Have you ever wondered what we were doing in your solar system? We were expanding, about to introduce ourselves to your little planet when you interrupted us. Now when the Duke and Duchess of the biggest kingdom in existence go missing, don't you think it'll be noticed?"

"Noticed?" The Supreme narrowed its bulbous eyes. "What are you saaaaying?"

"I mean that more are coming. They're coming to colonize your planet. The entire population of Pitastrangalorithorises will become Banana-ites, and every bit of your original culture and independence will be crushed into nothing," said the Doctor smugly.

At this, the Supreme hissed and spat furiously. Even the Pitastrangalorithorises that lined the walls, which had been silent up to this point, squirmed in agitation. "WHAT?!" screeched the Supreme. "I WILL NOT LET THISSSSS HAPPEN!"

"You can stop this," said the Doctor. "All you have to do is release me and my friends, and we will call off the fleet. Your world will be alone in the universe, as it has always been. No one will even know what was about to happen."

The Supreme slumped over in defeat. "Finnnnne thennnnnn," it hissed. He turned to look at one of the Pitastrangalorithorises that was stationed near the door at the end of the room. "Release the pris–" It halted mid-sentence, and it rotated its head slowly until it was staring directly at John and Rose, who were almost at the door. Once they realized they had been spotted, John and Rose froze in their tracks with troubled expressions.

"Oh, dear," said the Doctor.

"What isssss this trickery?" spat the Supreme. "I will not alllllooooow thissssss! Kill them! Kill them all!"

"Oh, _dear_."

* * *

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry about the cliffie. I know this upsets you, but I'll make it up to you by posting the next chapter as soon as possible. But before you click away, I just want to say a few things.**

**One reason why it took me so long to post was because I was having trouble coming up with what the Doctor's plan would be. My first thought was for him to hold the Supreme hostage, and then take control of the ship, but then I thought, "that's not the Doctor." I've only seen the Doctor hold a gun twice before in the show (****_End of Time Part 2_****, ****_A Town Called Mercy_****), and both of those times was because he was pushed to a point where it was kind of scary. The Doctor lost so many people, and his appreciation of life was what made him so great. It's what got me hooked on the show.**

**So now I'm thinking, "hey! This is just my opinion!" So what do you think? What defines the Doctor? What makes him who he is? Write your responses in your reviews, and I'll try to post as soon as possible. Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9: Through the Gap

**A/N: Ha! I told you guys that I wouldn't give up on this story, even after my infuriating cliffies! In fact, not only will I not give up on you, but I'm going to try to fit in the last chapter by Christmas.**

**Anyways, I hope you like this next chapter, and I am frantically writing trying to squeeze out a new one. Until then, please read&review.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Through the Gap**

It wasn't like the sudden chaos that occurred at the Torchwood Institute. This one was slow, and quiet. The Pitastrangalorithorises slid out of their stiff positions on the walls and slithered to form a solid barrier around Rose and John. They hissed menacingly as they scuttled closer and closer to them, cutting off all means of escape.

The Doctor's mind was flying faster than imaginable. Thinking, thinking… how could they get out of this? His eyes flickered around him. Small sections of the Pitastrangalorithorises had separated themselves from the main group and were surrounding Amy, Rory, and himself slowly. He could just make out a clear path between himself and the door. He had only seconds before that closed up and they were truly trapped. What could he do? He looked up at the fat Supreme that was sitting leisurely on his white throne. As the Doctor looked down, he could just make out the thin, black line that separated the block from the floor. It was attached to the floor, he thought. It was just a separate piece. Something that could be moved.

An idea formed in his head.

Faster than blinking, the Doctor leapt forward and rammed the side of his body into the block. It could not be moved; the massive weight of the Supreme held it in place, but it shook and sent a tremble through the throne. The Supreme squealed in alarm as it leaned dangerously to the side, and toppled over the edge of the huge cube, its weight carrying it until it slammed into the floor. It waved its legs feebly in the air for a moment before going limp and emitting pitiful squeaks.

The Pitastrangalorithorises halted in their tracks and turned to face the Doctor in a mixture of shock and fury.

"Oops!" said the Doctor. He found that his voice was a note higher than usual. "It appears that I've injured your most beloved Supreme. Although, I must tell you, he doesn't look very _supreme_ lying pathetically on the floor." He tisked. "I suppose the only way I can make this worse is if I topple the throne. Whoops!" He shoved the block once more – it was surprisingly light now that the Supreme wasn't holding it down, and it rose until it was teetering on its edge. Very slowly, it fell onto its side until it hit the ground with a thud. There was no visible difference; it looked just like a die would if rolled, but it infuriated the aliens. They hissed and spat viciously as they swiveled their centipede-like bodies to face him.

"Now I've done it," said the Doctor as he began to back up quickly before turning and sprinting out the door. The Pitastrangalorithorises, completely forgetting the rest of the group, rushed after him, hissing and spitting vile words and curses.

* * *

"Doctor!" yelled Amy, lunging forward to follow him. She felt Rory's strong arms circle her waist, holding her back. "Let go of me!" she hissed angrily, struggling against his firm grip.

"Be quiet," said Rory. "Don't you know what he's doing?"

"What?" Amy turned to face her husband, fury in her eyes.

"He's giving us a time," said John from across the room. "And we don't have much of it before they come back."

"You mean before they catch him and tear him to shreds?"

"Amy, stop," said Rory, letting go of her waist. He looked into her eyes meaningfully. "I'd hate to say it, but John is right. The Doctor can take care of himself. Right now, we need to focus on flying this ship," he said.

"But–"

"Amy." She stopped and looked at her husband. "We just have to trust him on this. He'll be fine," he said.

Amy hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.

"Well, then. Let's go," said Rose. She turned around and marched toward the door, followed by John, Amy, and Rory. One by one, they entered the other room. As Rory passed through the archway, he turned and prepared to close the door.

"Wait!" wailed a rough, scratchy voice. Rory started and looked at the Supreme, whose fat body was still sprawled on the ground. "Help meeeeeeee up!" it screeched.

"Yeah, I don't think so," he said, and he resumed sliding the door into place.

"I am the Supreeeeeeeeme! I will kiiiiiiiiill yooooooou all! I command yoooooou to–" Its sentence was cut short by the door closing the gap between the rooms.

"Right," said Rory, turning around and rubbing his hands together. "What now?"

"Well, the initial plan was for the Doctor to fly us through the gap, but that's not going to happen," said Rose. She was pacing the room and scratching the back of her head, much like the Doctor did when he was thinking.

"See, _this_ is what happens when we leave the Doctor behind," said Amy sourly. "We get stuck on some spaceship, with the universe about to be torn apart."

"Let's not start on that, please," said John. He was observing the controls with a concentrated gaze. Every now and again, he blinked confusedly and massaged his temples. So much stress and excitement couldn't be good for someone who had just gotten a concussion, though Amy.

"Well, this is no good," said Rory. "How the hell are we going to fly this ship?"

His question was met with silence, which only proved to irritate him more.

Suddenly, John jumped back, eyes wide with excitement. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed, peering closer at the buttons and levers that covered the control panel.

"What? What is it?" said Rose earnestly.

"These controls… They're a lot like those on a Gorictic battle ship." He looked up at his friends. "I might be able to fly it."

"Great! Let's start, then," said Rory.

John cleared his throat, suddenly looking slightly nervous. "Oh. Right. I'll just…do that, then." He turned around and observed the panel. Then, he outstretched an arm. His hand hovered on top of a button uncertainly.

"Well?" said Amy.

"Give me a moment," snapped John. He withdrew his hand and squinted at the panel once more.

Amy made an exasperated sound. "I thought you knew how to fly this thing!" she exclaimed.

"It was a while ago," said John agitatedly. "It's not…you know, fresh in my mind."

"You forgot," said Rory flatly.

"I'm only human! I forget things!" John said defensively. Rose snorted, and they all turned to give her a look.

She was smiling, her cheeks slightly red. "Sorry," she said. "It's just when he said 'I'm only human,' it was a little…you know, I'm only _human_… Erm, sorry. That isn't funny," she said, clearing her throat.

"Right," John said slowly.

"What I'm getting at is," said Rory, turning back to John, "will you be able to fly this ship?"

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know! It'll take a while. I can't think straight," said John.

"We don't _have_ a while," Amy put in.

"Yes, thank you for the helpful reminder," John said sourly.

"John," said Rose. He turned to give his wife a pained look.

"Even if I remembered how to fly a Gorictic ship, I don't even know if they function the same way. I could be entirely wrong. I could kill us all," he said.

"We don't have any other option," said Rose. John didn't say anything. Rose sighed. She closed the distance between her and her husband. As soon as they were close enough, Rose pressed her mouth to his. She put one hand gently against his cheek. John reached a hand up to hold hers. They separated after a few seconds, but their eyes remained locked onto each other. "I love you," said Rose, "and I trust you."

John gulped and nodded. He went back to the panel, scanning the controls with his eyes. Finally, a small memory tickled the back of his mind. Instructions and steps bubbled up from his subconscious, and his fingers began to fly across the panel, punching buttons, flipping switches, pulling levers, and turning dials.

As John started up the ship, he thought of the whole scenario. He began to map a plan in his head, predicting every possible outcome of their actions. "The TARDIS got sucked into this dimension because the focused molecules of the ship's weapons reacted with the vortex energy around the tear. It created a sort of vacuum to pull everything in. But now that we've switched spaces, the gravity is reversed. The gap is going to repel us, not attract. So we have to drive into it with as much power as possible, or else we won't push through," he said as he fiddled with various controls.

"As much power as possible? But won't that drain the ship?" asked Rory.

At this, Johns smiled. "The whole ship will be stranded in space. Not a single control will work. In other words, the Pitastrangalorithorises won't be able to fly us anywhere while we're out looking for the Doctor once we're passed the gap."

"Oh, that's clever," said Amy. John winked at her.

"There!" he said, flipping one last switch. He reached out a hand, stopping it right on top of a big, green button. He looked up at his friends solemnly. "Ladies and gentleman," he said, "when I press this button, we will fly forward with so much force, that some of your skin will likely peel from your face. As soon as we power down on the other side, you will likely puke your guts out."

"Lovely," said Rose.

John smiled at his wife. "Are you ready for this?" he asked.

Rose smiled, showing some of her perfectly white teeth. "Absolutely." John's grin widened, and he slammed his palm down on the button, closing his eyes and bracing himself.

Nothing happened.

Rory looked around the room. "Was something supposed to happen?" he asked.

John opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. "No, no, this is wrong," he said, turning back to the controls.

"John, what happened?" asked Amy.

"I don't… I mean… wait. Wait, no. Oh no. Nonononono. Oh, no, this is _thick_! It's so, completely _thick_!" he shouted, the anger showing through his tone.

"What's thick?" asked Amy.

"There's no power! The travel through the gap sucked most of it out. They must've used the last of it to get to Earth. They're so thick!" he said. He turned to his friends. "There's no way to move the ship. We're stuck."

"What do you mean we're stuck?" demanded Rory.

"I mean what I said. We're stuck."

"But – but we _can't_ just be stuck. There has to be another way. A backup system or something. We just can't be stuck," said Amy.

"Wait," said Rose. John, Amy, and Rory looked at her. "When the Doctor and I were looking at the controls, he said that there was some sort of telepathic system through the ship. It linked all of the Pitastrangalorithorises together. Like, it connected their minds."

John fiddled with some dials and read something on a monitor. "Yes, there's something here about a telepathic system. What about it?" he asked.

"Well, maybe it has something about their internal functions. Something has to power all of their mechanical body parts. If we could access it, maybe we could use it to power the ship!" she said.

"Wouldn't that kill the Pitastranga-somethings?" asked Rory.

"No," said John. Rory looked at him. "Not kill. Just paralyze. At least, for a while. By the looks of it, these beings are completely self-sufficient. Their mechanical parts function almost independently. If they were suddenly drained, then they'd just replenish themselves. But, they'd have to shut off while doing repairs. The Pitastrangalorithorises would be completely immobile."

"So they wouldn't cause us any trouble while we look for the Doctor," said Amy.

"Exactly!" exclaimed John. He turned to his wife. "Rose, you're brilliant!"

"That's why you married me," she said with a smile.

As John went back to the controls, his smile evaporated. "Wait…" he said. "To access their internal systems, I'd need to link up something with advanced manipulation abilities over psychic waves." He looked up at his wife. "The entire device would be burned up," he said.

"Where are we going to find a psychic manipulation device?" asked Rory.

John only looked at his sadly, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

Rose gasped. "Oh John… Not your sonic," she said.

John stared at the thin, silver instrument drearily. "I just finished it this morning," he said.

"You've got to do it, John," said Rory.

He sniffed. "I know. I know. It's just… yeah. It's for the best." Slowly, he hooked the sonic up with a small wire connected to the panel. He flipped a switch. There was a shudder through the ship, and they could hear a short shriek from the Supreme in the other room. "There," said John. "All powered up and ready to go."

"Best not wait, then," said Rose. "Allons-y."

John turned and smiled at her. "Yeah," he said. "Allons-y." He looked at his sonic screwdriver one last time. "Goodbye, old friend," he said. He pressed the green button.

The ship shot forward, and the group flew backwards. John grasped desperately at a control on the panel and held on for dear life. Amy and Rose's hair flew backwards with such force, it felt as if it was tugging at their scalps. Rory was so unfortunate. He tumbled across the floor and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room, unable to pick himself up from the sheer force that was driving him down.

"Approaching…the…gap!" John managed to yell, though it felt as if an invisible fist was repeatedly beating down on his lungs.

Suddenly, their stomachs lurched as everything felt as if it were slowing down. The air felt like it was 10 degrees colder and hotter at the same time, and gravity felt like it had turned around.

As quickly as the feeling came, it simply disappeared. Everything was going the normal speed. Rory blinked and looked around. His mouth tasted like bile. Amy and Rose were picking themselves off the floor, groaning. John was propped up against the panel, and he did not look good. His chest was heaving, his eyes were wide with shock, and his face was bright red and soaked in perspiration.

"John? Are you alright?" asked Rose, struggling to her feet.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just– oh–" He rolled onto his side and puked, once again, on ground.

"John!" Rose stumbled to her husband's side and righted him as he coughed up the last of his sick.

"I'm – I'm alright," he gasped.

"Is that what you call alright?" said Rose frantically.

"No, really, I'm fine," said John. "I just hate gap travel, that's all." He groaned as he climbed unsteadily to his feet. He looked at Rose. "I'm fine."

Rose looked unsure as John staggered to the console and searched frantically for his sonic. Finally, his fingers found a charred metal stick that could have once been in the shape of a cylinder. "Ohh," he moaned. "Look at this thing!"

Rory came up behind him and patted him on the back. "It will always be remembered," he said.

"Look," said Amy. She went to the edge of the wall, where a giant cold-plasma window gave them a view of the space in front of them. The violet, starry sky was ripped open by a long line that looked like it was absorbing the space around it. Colors burst from inside of it, and the stars around seemed to be sucked in. "Is that it?"

"Yep," said John. "That's the gap. We made it."

The group stood there for a moment. It was mesmerizing, watching space collapse in upon itself. The gases from stars flickered and blinked different colors before warping into strange shapes, and eventually disappearing, like bubbles down a drain.

"It's beautiful," said Rose.

"It sure is," said John. "But enough of that! Back to business."

"Right," said Amy. "What do we do now?"

"Well, we made it through the gap," said John, "so the easy part's done."

"Easy?" muttered Amy. "What's the hard part.

John grinned. "Now we have to find the Doctor."


	10. Chapter 10: The Return Trip

**A/N: Yes, I know, I'm past my due date. I'm sorry, but I was too busy enjoying my Christmas. This is my longest chapter yet, and I hope you like it. It's not the last chapter, so don't stop following just yet.**

**One more thing: I saw "The Snowmen" last night and thought it was COMPLETELY FANTASTIC. What did you think about it? The new show opening? The new companion? The new TARDIS look? Write your thoughts in your reviews, and I'll see you next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Return Trip**

The Doctor's brown leather shoes clattered against the metal floor as he sprinted across the corridors. He could hear the clicks and hisses of the aliens close behind them. In fact, they sounded a bit closer than they had 5 minutes ago.

His lungs burned and it felt as if someone had attached lead weights to his ankles, yet he pushed himself further. He had to get them more time! Suddenly, his left leg gave out. _Damn!_ The Doctor mentally shouted at himself as he tumbled to the ground. He glanced over his shoulder. He could just make out the Pitastrangalorithoris's insect-like shadows around the bend. In only a few moments, they would be upon him. _Have to get off of the main corridor_, he thought urgently. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, until they finally rested on a narrow hall that branched off just a few meters away.

Quickly, the Doctor staggered to his feet and hopped towards the hall, minding his leg. "Over 1,000 years of running and my bloody _leg_ gives out," he hissed under his breath as he ducked into the smaller corridor. A few seconds passed, and he heard the scuttling of the Pitastrangalorithoris's feet as they hurried past him. "Thick," he chuckled.

Still laughing quietly to himself, the Doctor turned around to stare right in the face of an alien. It was standing, motionless, next to a half-made circuit box. The Doctor gulped. "Hello, there," he huffed.

The alien let out a shrill, ear-splitting shriek and began to advance. The Doctor limped backwards, trying to keep his distance. Further down the hall, he could hear the other Pitastrangalorithorises rushing towards them. Within seconds, he was surrounded.

"Look," he said reasonably. "You're mad because I hurt your Supreme. I get that, but there is no reason why we can't talk about this like adults." The Pitastrangalorithorises only hissed furiously. "No?" he continued. "OK, then. Have it your way." He slowly reached into his coat for his sonic screwdriver.

But before he had a chance to whip it out, each of the aliens emitted a short, shocked shriek and stood absolutely still. The Doctor started and looked around. "Hello?" he said. He went up and peered closely at the nearest alien. "Are you alright?" It said nothing. "Weren't you just about to kill me? What happened?" He looked around. Each of the Pitastrangalorithorises didn't so much as move their gaze. They were like statues. The Doctor shuddered. He hated statues.

He brought out his sonic and switched the setting, then scanned the aliens before them. As he read the scanning, he furrowed his brow. "That's curious," he said. "It looks like your internal machinery is being accessed. Used for power, by the looks of it." He lowered his sonic screwdriver, and he widened his eyes in realization. "But that means… Oh, dear–"

Suddenly, the ship lurched to the side. The Pitastrangalorithorises, which were standing in a neat circle around the Doctor, tumbled over and hit the floor. The Doctor was thrown backwards, stumbling over a body of a Pitastrangalorithoris and landing on his back. The breath seemed to be beaten out of him as the ship shot through space, faster than a bullet. He surely would've screamed if he had any air left in him. As the ship gained speed, the Doctor slid across the floor, banging into the walls on either side of him.

Then came that horribly strange sensation that occurred whenever he traveled between universes. An unbearable queasiness in the pit of his stomach, followed by a feeling of weightlessness, and then a splitting headache.

As the ship passed through the dimension, the sensation left, leaving the Doctor feeling discombobulated and sick to his stomach. "Uugh," he groaned, picking himself off of the floor. His leg complained when he settled a bit of his weight on it, but he tried his best to push the pain to the back of his mind.

The Doctor groaned and rubbed at the bruise above his ear. It was still tender. He looked around the corridor. The aliens appeared paralyzed, and were scattered about in awkward positions. The Doctor would bet his bowtie that every other Pitastrangalorithoris on the ship was the same way. Obviously, his friends had used the telepathic network to draw power from the aliens' machinery and used that to push them through the gap.

Again, he surveyed his surroundings. The Pitastrangalorithorises would remain paralyzed for a while longer. Now was his chance to find his friends and get to the TARDIS. The Doctor straightened his back and proceeded to limp down the corridor, in the direction from which he had come.

Minutes passed, and the pain in the Doctor's leg became increasingly hard to ignore. It ached and throbbed with every step, even though he tried his best not to put much weight on it. It began to tremble so much that he started to just hop on his one good leg.

Finally, he paused and ducked into another hallway with a gasp of pain. Grunting in discomfort, he sank down into a crouch, kicking his bad leg out in front of him and messaging the sore muscles. He paused to look at his wrist, and his breath caught in his throat. Only about a half hour left before the end of the universe, and he didn't even know where the TARDIS was. The Doctor looked into the main corridor. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, past his line of sight. He sighed. With his leg, there was no way he'd be able to make it to the navigation room within 30 minute, let alone find the TARDIS and return John and Rose back to their dimension afterwards.

Rose. The very thought of her name made his hearts ache.

Suddenly, he was transported back to Torchwood Tower. "Rose, hold on!" came a voice. The Doctor closed his eyes, and the image of John and Rose hanging onto the magnetic clamps appeared in his head. No, not John. The Doctor. The Doctor and Rose were together in that room, being tugged by the gravity of the Void. Hundreds of Daleks flew past them and were sucked into the massive white whole in the wall. Then, Rose's lever came loose. "Hold on!" screamed the old Doctor.

Rose shifted her grip and reached in vain for the lever, but it was just out of reach. She then let go of her clamp and struggled to lock the lever into place. "Rose!" shouted the Doctor again. The vacuum of the Void seemed to increase by the second, pulling at the pair more and more. Rose was clinging to her lever now, trying desperately to hold on, but one at a time, her fingers slipped off of the grip. Finally, she let go, and began to plummet towards the Void.

The Doctor's throat tore with a heart wrenching screech. "ROOOOOOOOSE!"

"Doctor?"

The Doctor's eyes snapped open when he heard Rose's voice echo through the hall. "Rose?" he said.

"Doctor? Are you here?" she called again.

"Rose!" said the Doctor again, a bit louder. He climbed to his feet, wincing as he settled a bit of his weight on his bad leg. "Rose, I'm right here," he said. He peeked his head around the corner to see Rose walking towards him, followed by John.

"Doctor!" she shouted, and she rushed towards him and tackled him in a suffocating hug. "You're not dead!"

"Yes, good to see you, too. Where's everyone else?" the Doctor said.

Rose separated herself and smiled at the Doctor as John answered, "We split up so that we could find you faster. I told us all to meet up at the TARDIS in 10 minutes." He glanced down and his watch. "Which gives us about 5 minutes, so we should really go right now." John looked at the Doctor and noticed the awkward way he was holding his leg. "Are you alright?" he asked uncertainly.

"Erm, yes," said the Doctor. "Perfectly alright."

"You're holding your leg funny."

"What, this little thing?" replied the Doctor, patting his leg and trying to ignore its complaints. "I just must've strained it or something. I'll be fine."

Rose snorted. "You doctors, getting injured and saying 'I'm fine. I'm alright.' You're always alright!"

At this, John and the Doctor just exchanged a knowing look.

"What?" said Rose, looking between the two. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Nope," said the Doctor, smiling down at her. "Not a single thing."

Rose sighed. "I'm never going to find out what that means, am I?"

"Maybe some day," said John, "but not today. Especially not now that we have barely 30 minutes to save the universe." He turned to the Doctor. "So, as I was saying, we should _really_ go right now," he said.

"Right," said the Doctor. "Lead the way." John nodded. He turned and started down the hallway. As Rose began to follow him, the Doctor frowned. This was it, he realized. They would get back to the TARDIS, return Rose and John home, and close the gap, and he'd probably never see them again. He would lose her just like he did at the Torchwood Tower.

Not again. "Rose, wait," said the Doctor. She turned around and barely had time to prepare herself before the Doctor closed the distance between them and kissed her softly.

At first she was stiff, and her mouth was hard against his, but then she relaxed and kissed him back. His arms circled her waist, and her hands cupped his face.

The Doctor had known Rose for 5 years, yet never before had he been so close to her. Never before had he been with her like this. Her presence was so _familiar_ that it made him forget everything that was going on. The pain in his leg seemed like just a dull throb; the gap seemed like such a trivial matter. He could've stayed there forever.

It was Rose who pulled away, but she remained pressed against the Doctor. She looked up at him, her eyes shining just like they had when they were traveling together. "Doctor…" she breathed.

"Are you guys coming?" said John, peeking around the corner. The Doctor and Rose separated themselves, hands immediately travelling to their pockets or behind their backs. "What's going on here?" he said. He backed up and stood in front of them.

"Nothing," said the Doctor uncomfortably.

"Nothing?" John laughed without humor. "That didn't look like nothing."

Rose started, "John–"

"No," he interrupted. "You know what? Don't even say anything. I know exactly what this is. I was just second best, wasn't I? Of course I was. How could I even _compete_ with the original Doctor?" he spat.

"John, please–"

"When he dropped us off at Bad Wolf Bay, I guess I sort of knew it. The way you kissed me, it was like you held something back. Like, 'Oh, I can't have that Doctor, so this one will do until I can see him again.'"

Rose's eyes watered, and her voice shook. "John, that's not true," she said.

"Of course it is! I was stupid for not noticing it earlier! It makes me wonder, though, what exactly you were thinking when I brought out that ring. Did you even mean it when you said 'I do'?"

"John!" the Doctor shouted. "We don't have time for this."

When he spoke, John rounded on him, his eyes blazing with fury. "Now piss off, you bloody–"

"No, I mean we _really_ don't have time for this," he said. "Less than 30 minutes, actually." John just stared at him coldly. "Look, I understand," said the Doctor, "and I'm sorry. Really, I am so, terribly sorry, but this will have to wait until after we save the universe. Now, will you please lead the way?"

John nodded grudgingly. "Fine. Let's go," he said. He turned around, and, without so much as glancing at Rose, headed down the corridor.

* * *

Amy paced around the TARDIS. "They should've been here by now. Why aren't they here right now?" she muttered.

"For perhaps the fiftieth time, I don't know," said Rory. He was leaning against the TARDIS doors, arms crossed and eyes following Amy as she walked up and down the area. Her boots carefully avoided touching the bodies of the dead aliens that were still scattered around the blue box. As for the TARDIS herself, she appeared to have fully healed. Her paint was once again a brilliant shade of blue, the windows were no longer speckled with black blotches, and the light bulb on top appeared to have repaired itself.

Amy paused and turned to her husband. "I haven't said that fifty times!" she scoffed.

Rory nodded insistently. "You have. I've been counting."

Amy rolled her eyes and continued pacing. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"I don't think so. The Pitastranga-somethings haven't woken up yet," Rory replied.

"Maybe we should go out, check on them," said Amy.

"No need!" came the Doctor's voice from down the hall. Soon, he came up to the TARDIS, followed by John and Rose. Amy noticed that the Doctor was limping slightly, and John and Rose were standing strangely far apart from each other and not looking at each other.

"Where the hell have you been?" Amy demanded, coming up to meet him.

"Celebrating a birthday party," said the Doctor. "Sorry, I didn't save you any cake."

"Oh, that's very funny," she said. "Do you know how long we were waiting?"

"A grand total of 10 minutes," the Doctor replied. "Really, Amelia Pond, you need to learn to stop worrying about me. Try to look on the bright side of things."

"The universe is going to end in 20 minutes," said Amy. "Lots of positives in that situation."

"Of course there are. That means that we'll close the gap with 20 minutes to spare," said the Doctor. Amy smiled at him, and he returned it. "Well, then," he continued. "Best not terry! All aboard!" He snapped his fingers. The doors of the TARDIS creaked open, and the Doctor stepped inside.

"That's new," said Rose as she entered the TARDIS, followed by Amy, Rory, and John.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor set to work at the console, Amy and Rose started talking on one side of the room, and John leaned on a rail at the staircase. After looking around for a bit, Rory joined him. "Maybe you can help the Doctor out with the controls. We might be able to get you home faster that way," he suggested casually.

John snorted. "I'm not going to help him any time soon," he said.

"Why? Are you two arguing over something?"

"You could say that."

Rory paused for a moment before speaking. "Is it something with Rose?"

John started. "How'd you know?" he asked.

"Experience."

"Experience?" John raised an eyebrow. "The Doctor and Amy had something?" Rory nodded. "Before or after you were married?"

Rory sighed. "The night before, actually. Although, apparently they'd spent quite a bit of time together in just that night. The Doctor told me about it at my bachelor party," he said.

"Time travel is complicated," said John.

"Yeah, I got that," Rory agreed. They were silent for a bit before John cleared his throat.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" he asked.

"Ask away," said Rory.

John hesitated. "You said that the Doctor told you that night, am I right?" Rory nodded. "But you still married her. Why?" he asked.

Rory just looked at John as if he'd spoken a different language. "I love her," he said. "Don't you still love Rose?"

"Of course I do," said John, "but Rose doing what she did…it makes me wonder if she ever meant it, all those years with me. It makes me wonder if I was just a copy to her."

Rory sighed. "Well, I don't know how it is now, but I can tell you this. She wouldn't have married you if she didn't love you." He looked at John meaningfully. "When Amy and I came to your house last night, with the Doctor unconscious in our arms, I could see it. The way you two were, that was real." John looked up at Rory with hurt in his eyes. Rory remembered that he felt that same hurt when the Doctor burst out of that cake at the bachelor party. "You may not forgive Rose for what she did. I still haven't entirely forgiven Amy, but don't give up on her. I don't want what I saw last night to go away."

"We're here!" said the Doctor as the TARDIS made the landing sound. One at a time, the group exited the box and found themselves standing on a beach with a gray sky overhead. "Dålig Ulv Stranden," said the Doctor. "Hardly a surprise. Well." He turned to John and Rose. "I suppose this is goodbye."

John stepped forward. "It is for us, anyway," he said. He looked around, and shivered as a cold breeze pelted his bare neck. His eyes fell on the Doctor again. "I can't say it's exactly been a pleasure," he continued, "but it's certainly been interesting."

"Yes, quite," returned the Doctor. "I have to thank you, though." He, too, looked around the beach. He'd come to love and hate that sight. He normally liked beaches. He liked the smell of salt water in the air, the feel of cold wind ruffling his clothes, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, but Bad Wolf Bay was hardly a place full of happy memories.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For helping me," said the Doctor. "I couldn't have done it without you."

John smirked. "I doubt that."

"No, really," he said. "The TARDIS was broken, I was unconscious. I needed your help. That's why I came."

"Are you sure you didn't come for anything else?" asked John. His eyes travelled to Rose, who was standing uncomfortably next to Amy.

The Doctor followed his gaze. "Well, things hardly go according to plan," he said.

"You could say that again," said John. He looked at the Doctor again. "You're welcome," he said, "but never call on me for help again. I'm not sure you'll get it."

The Doctor smiled. "Understood," he said.

John nodded and turned to Amy and Rory. "It was good to meet you," he said.

"Pleasure's ours," said Amy.

"It's good that he has people to travel with. It gets terribly lonely. Trust me, I know," he said. John took in both of them. They'd seen things, he could tell. They'd been with the Doctor long enough to know.

"I don't suppose we'll see you again," said Amy.

"Probably not," said John. "So, this is goodbye." He began to turn away, but paused and looked at Rory. "Thank you," he said.

"No problem," said Rory.

Finally, John stepped in front of Rose. Her eyes were big and sad, and were staring unblinkingly at him. "If it's any use now," she said, "I'm sorry."

John sighed. "You can stay or you can go," he said flatly. "Whichever makes you happy." He then turned around and started to walk down the beach, away from the TARDIS.

Rose looked after him longingly, at mental war with herself. At last, she made a decision. She took a step forward.

"Rose, wait," said the Doctor. Rose turned around to see him walking towards her. His face was unreadable. As soon as he was close enough, he spoke. "You don't have to go." his voice quivered slightly. "You could stay with me. We could travel together, just like old times." Rose looked over her shoulder at John. He was becoming smaller and smaller as he walked further down the beach. "You don't have to go," said the Doctor again.

"Doctor…" said Rose. Her voice was pained, and there was the glimmer of tears in her eyes. "When I first saw you, I fell in love. The whole time, I may not have known it, but I loved you. And when you died and you changed, I loved you again. But I fell in love with a completely different person. Two different doctors." She looked over her shoulder again. She could just barely make out John's shape now, disappearing over the horizon. "Last time I was here, you gave me John, and I thought that was it. I was OK with that being it." She looked back at the Doctor, the tears now flowing freely. "I love John now, Doctor, and I can't afford another Doctor in my life."

The Doctor looked at her admirably. "Rose Tyler…" he said. "I never did get to finish my sentence that day, did I?"

Rose just smiled at him. "You didn't need to," she said. Without thinking, Rose enveloped the Doctor in a warm embrace. "Goodbye, Doctor," she whispered. Then, she separated herself and ran after John.

The Doctor watched her disappear across the beach. "Goodbye, Rose Tyler," he murmured. "I love you."

* * *

The group was silent as the Doctor worked at the console. The TARDIS shuddered, then made the familiar TARDIS-sound that meant they were leaving. Amy looked up at him. His face was expressionless, though Amy could tell he was upset. More upset than she'd ever seen him.

"Doctor?" she said.

"Mmm?" he responded, not taking his eyes off of the console.

"Are you alright?"

The Doctor looked up and smiled at her. "I'm always alright," he said.

"I know that Rose leaving was hard for you, but you'll be OK, right?" Amy said.

"Of course, Pond," he said. "Of course I'll be OK." Then, he felt warmth emanating from his coat pocket. He reached inside and pulled out his psychic paper. Flipping it open, he found the words _Hello, Sweetie_ scrawled on the paper. The Doctor's smile widened. "I will definitely be OK," he said.


	11. Chapter 11: Christmas

**Chapter 11: Christmas**

The apartment was warm and cozy. Red and green lights hung from the windows and the air was rich with the smell of Christmas dinner. Jackie had invited some of the neighbors over, and the kitchen was alight with laughter. Rose sat back and smiled in satisfaction at the Christmas. John had excused himself early, and she could guess where he'd gone. Trying her best not to be noticeable, she scooted her chair back.

"Oi!" said Jackie from across the table. Baby Tony was gurgling in her lap, and Patrick was seated next to her, still chatting with the neighbor's husband. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"I'll just be outside. I need a bit of fresh air," said Rose.

"You want any more roast pork?"

"No, thanks. I've had too much already," she said back, smiling

"Oh, come on, Rose. It's Christmas day! You really want to be all alone out there?" Jackie said doubtfully.

"I've got to talk to John for a moment," said Rose.

A look of understanding passed over Jackie, and she nodded. "Be right back, though. We haven't even started with the mince pie."

"I'll only be a moment," she said over her shoulder as she exited the room. She made her way to the porch. As she had suspected, John was leaning against the rail, staring at the stars. Rose shifted her weight awkwardly. Though it had been nearly a week since the Doctor had left, they'd never had much time to really talk alone with each other. She tried her best to look casual as she slowly walked up to him, looking at the sky. The stars twinkled magically in the endless night sky. For the past 4 years, she had secretly been wishing to see a blue box flying along with the stars. Now, for some strange reason, she found that the want was gone.

"It's beautiful out," she said.

"Sure is," John responded, not turning to look at her. "Even from this little planet, it's still so beautiful." He didn't say anything more.

Rose cleared her throat uncomfortably. "They're about to start on the mince pies, if you want any," she said.

"Nah, I couldn't eat any more. Honestly, your mother was practically force-feeding me," he said. Rose laughed out loud, and she saw the corner of John's mouth twitch up.

"You know, it's Christmas day," she said. John said nothing. "There is no other place I'd rather be right now," Rose said again, enunciating every word. John's gaze flicked to her, but he remained silence. Rose sighed. "Do you think you can ever find it within your heart to forgive me?" she asked hopefully. Finally, John turned to her. For the first time in nearly a week, he really, truly smiled at her.

"You had the chance to go with him," he said. "But instead you stayed here, with me. That's got to count for something."

Rose smiled back at him, and snuggled close. After a moment of hesitation, John wrapped his arm around her and held her. Rose leaned her head against his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, John," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Rose," he replied. Together, they stayed outside and stared up at the stars. Although they both knew what was out there, they were happy just standing on the porch, together, with their friends and family enjoying Christmas dinner in the other room.

* * *

Rory, Amy, and the Doctor lounged on lawn chairs in a tall, grassy field on the planet Ryam. Each of them was wrapped in a thick, woolen blanket, with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand. The planet's atmosphere made the sky look deep purple instead of the endless blue of Earth. "This is great hot chocolate, Doctor," said Amy, sipping from her cup. "I didn't know you could cook."

The Doctor observed his mug carefully while saying, "Neither did I. They turned out pretty well, though. Can hardly taste the crab."

Amy and Rory gave each other a look before carefully lowering their cups from their lips. "I don't suppose you'll be open to coming back to our place for some _actual_ chocolate once we're done here?" she asked.

The Doctor turned and smiled at her. "That would be nice," he said quietly, "but no. Much too busy for Christmas dinner, I'm afraid. I'll tell you what, though. Tomorrow, I'll stop by and we can explore the Lost Caves of Brimzol. Or how about the _La Tomatina_ celebration in Spain? You'd love. You might want to bring a pair of goggles, though, because the tomatoes–"

"My God, Doctor. Does your life ever slow down? Do you ever take a day off to relax?" asked Amy, smiling.

"We're relaxing now, aren't we?" said the Doctor.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Amy turned over to her husband. "Are you still drinking that?" she asked. Rory had picked up his cup again and was sipping from it casually.

He shrugged. "It's good chocolate," he said.

Suddenly, there was a creak as the TARDIS doors opened behind them. River Song walked out, holding a star scanner and looking at the sky expectantly. "Quiet, Dad," she said. "I think it's starting."

"Ooh, how exciting," said the Doctor. He looked up at River. "You sure you don't want any chocolate?" he asked again.

River looked down at her husband with a smile. "Afraid not, sweetie. Unlike these poor souls, I know what you put in your hot chocolate. Now, shh. Here it comes."

With that, they all turned to look up at the sky. Soon, streaks of multicolored dust flew through the air as a collection of meteors burst past the planet. Trails of fuchsia, gold, and aqua green filled the sky, more dazzling than any fireworks show they'd ever been to.

As the meteors passed, a smile graced Amy's features. "Thank you for this, Doctor," she said, not taking her eyes off of the sky.

Beside her, the Doctor replied, "Merry Christmas, Amelia Pond."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's my story! I just wanted to thank everybody for the alerts, favorits, and reviews. All your positive feedback is what encouraged me to keep writing. I really appreciate you guys putting up with my obnoxious cliffhangers.**

**Yes, I know it's been nearly a week since Christmas, when I wanted to post this chapter, but all the same, merry late-Christmas, and I hope you enjoyed it. For Christmas, I got a sonic screwdriver keychain and a TARDIS mug. I was very happy.**

**With that, thanks for reading!**


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